Break: A fairytale
by rainmadeadoor
Summary: AU. Growing up in Domino, one of the last monarchical countries in the world, Joey Wheeler used to dream about one day befriending the prince splashed across the headlines. Ten years later chance comes knocking, and now everything is about to change.
1. Prologue

_****Summary:** **AU. Growing up in Domino, one of the last monarchical countries in the modern world, Joey Wheeler used to dream about one day befriending the strange, solemn prince splashed across the headlines. Ten years later when chance comes knocking on his door in the form of the boy who might have been king, it's time to discover that there really are no clear boundaries between dreams, luck and fate. On the battlefield of adulthood and on an international stage, a few very important people are about to discover that princes and tailors are never quite who you think they're going to be. After all, this is no ordinary fairy tale._

_**Warnings:** There will be fluff, snark, politics, original characters, smut and, at some point, a few darker themes. Additional warnings will be added as needed; rating may later be raised to M._

_**Disclaimer:**I don't own YGO or any of its characters, and I am not profiting from this fan work._

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><p><strong>Break: A Fairytale<strong>

_**Prologue**_

_**.  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>O<strong>nce upon a time there lived a cold and handsome prince who had come to believe that he never needed anyone else and that he could live all of his life on his own. And so he might have continued to believe, only that once upon a time there also lived a talented and unorthodox tailor who was never very good at taking no for an answer.

This is a story about them and how between them they managed to change everything.

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><p>When Joey Wheeler was a young boy, he used to lay awake at night and imagine stories. He was a lot like other boys his age in this respect; there were the usual number of Sith lords, Jedi warriors, pirates, ninjas, race cars and explosions. But when Joey was very young, only two or three, his mother used to sit beside his bed and read him fairy tales of all kinds until he finally dropped off to sleep, and for whatever reason these stories became a little bit engrained into his two or three-year old heart.<p>

After his mom and his sister Serenity left, Joey and his dad had to move to an apartment in a part of town where everything was dirty and sirens echoed down late night streets. They lived on the top floor of their building, and Joey would lie on his bed upside down and stare out the window through the fire-escape to the sometimes starry sky overhead. And he told himself stories as the ambulances and fire trucks wailed and a girl started crying somewhere across the street.

Sometimes he was the prince, out to rescue the princess from the evil warlock, or sometimes he was the dragon who wouldn't let anyone mess around with his hoard of treasure. But most of all, Joey always loved the stories about working together. Hansel and Gretel was one of his favourites because it was just like him and Serenity, and someday they'd be back together and they'd beat anybody who tried to hurt them or break them apart again. But he also liked the stories about friends working together, about Knights of the Round Table questing for a holy grail, about princesses dressing as knights and befriending and falling in love with princes while fighting by their sides.

As was probably natural for a boy of his age and disposition, Joey was fascinated by the real royal family and particularly by the little prince he knew to be the exact same age as himself. With a young child's brilliant imagination, Joey painted scenario after scenario in which the two of them solved mysteries, won sword fights and sailed across the ocean. Even in the quietest parts of his childhood Joey was never really alone, not when both his imagination and his daily life were full of personalities and vivid colours.

Whether as a reflection of this strong affinity for others or as a result of it, Joey made friends fast and easily no matter where he was. He'd made one of his best lifelong friends by the time he was seven, and he spent a lot of his days tearing down alleyways and diving behind boxes and vans as other kids pelted after him, cops and robbers gone delightfully right. Especially when his dad started to get a little weird, this is what Joey generally relied on to see him through to the next day when they could do it all over again. Nothing stays easy forever, or even for very long, but there were some happy years.

In the twilight of Joey's childhood, before things got too difficult for cops and robbers and stories to make it alright, one particular news story washed across the country like a shock wave. It was this and only this: at eleven years of age the crown prince of Domino was finally coming home.

The night it happened Joey, like most of the rest of the country, sat in front of his dad's little tv set with his arms wrapped around his knees as the lights from the old box flashed against the darkness. He and his father watched the cars roll up as the police fought to keep the reporters back, and he held his breath through the scrum in the rain and the dark and the lights as everyone in all of Domino waited to see the face of the boy who would someday be their leader for the first time in seven years.

Tomorrow there would be a press conference and everyone in the country would tune in to hear the official statements, to see the two little princes stand beside their father, and to breathe a sigh of relief because everything was going to be okay. But tonight, tonight almost as many people sat not quite believing tomorrow would come, desperately hoping for a glimpse that would prove that it wasn't a hopeless dream. It was a little like a fairy story, the wayward son (albeit absent through no fault of his own) finally come home at last to resume the position that always should have been his. At least, that's the way the newspapers and the excited journalists described it.

Finally, finally when the press had been pushed back far enough and the police had established a firm boundary line, the real movement finally began. Joey would remember for years afterwards the way everyone in dark suits had hurried around, officious but nervous and exhausted looking as they tried to ceremoniously help the perpetually out of sight young boy out of the car and towards the darkened house. They did a good job, as only one camera managed to get a real shot of the boy that night, there in the wind and the dark and the rain.

Across the city, also eleven-year old Joey Wheeler watched as, just for a moment, the half lights and one rain-spattered camera picked out the face of a dark eyed boy who stared back impassively and somehow also forcefully, no expression whatsoever on his face as he met the eyes of the country and the world. And then, not quite three seconds later, he was a dark blur once more, being hurried away into the night and towards shelter, gone again but also here to stay.

Tomorrow that photo would be on every page and every screen and every citizen in Domino would discuss how the little prince had looked so tired or scared or angry or sullen or sad or content. No one seemed to agree at all, and privately Joey would decide that they were all wrong anyway. In his storytelling heart he thought that the prince Seto Kaiba of Domino had looked only one thing that night, and it churned up the old stories he'd dreamed and, on occasion, sometimes still did. When he remembered those shadowed eyes and the dark shape of one young boy being walked towards the huge dark house he only had one word echoing over and over in his chest.

(Lonely.)

That was the night that eleven year old Joey Wheeler made an impulsive promise that he would bury under a thousand other things more important in his everyday life but somehow never entirely forget. He'd played with that boy in his imagination half of the days of his life, and his heart went out to the prince who was in a new place where he knew nothing and no one, and somehow still had to call it home. That night in front of the old little tv set in the dark of his father's shabby little apartment he promised that someday he would be the prince's friend, and then the boy with the dark empty eyes would never be alone again.

Strange as it may seem, this story really and truly begins almost ten years to the day after that remarkable night, on one bright and sunny August morning. Many things may be different after ten years time, but beginnings and once-loved stories hidden deep under years of frayed edges have a way of coming back to us when the time is right.

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><p><strong>AN: **I think this is going to be a long one, guys. Let me know if you're into the concept, and I'll have the first full chapter up soon!


	2. Chapter 1

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><strong>

**Chapter 1: Chance Encounters**

_**lucky break: **__(__noun) a stroke of good fortune_

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><p>"Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap <em>crap<em>!"

It was ten thirty am on a Monday morning, and Mokuba Kaiba was already having a very bad day. Seto had asked him to do one thing, _one thing_, for the party tonight, and he had managed to not only forget all about it but also screw up his one chance of fixing his mistake. Seto was going to be disappointed in him, which was worse than being mad, and _ohcrap_ why couldn't he have remembered this _yesterday_?

Swearing again under his motorcycle helmet, Mokuba turned his bike up along the wide boulevard that cut up near the waterfront. Okay, okay. Time to think _fast_. He could figure this out if he just didn't panic. There were tons of people who could tailor a suit in Domino City, and he was pretty sure there had to be at least a handful who could do it _right now_ if he paid them enough money. As soon as they got a look at who he was it wasn't going to be cheap, but that was okay, he'd just have to go a little easy on the spending money this month. If only Laurentis had…

Okay, no, no use blaming anyone else. What he needed right now was a phone book. Then he could start calling every name and number in the book until he found someone who could make this suit fit him in approximately four hours. His best bet was probably to try the shopping mall near Mahaado Drive; there were some pay phones with phone books there and it was close to almost everything. Yeah totally, that was the way to go. Still reminding himself to breathe in a normal and unpanicked fashion, Mokuba turned north and started to weave his way through the light morning traffic towards downtown.

It was a beautiful day and on almost any other occasion, Mokuba probably would have taken the chance to appreciate the way the city looked in the morning sunshine. (He'd only gotten his license two months ago, so driving his bike was still a thrill every time.) Today, though, he was practicing his brother's methods of focusing which involved ignoring everything and everyone in the world that was not directly related to what you needed to be accomplishing. As much as he sometimes despaired about Seto's apparently iron self-control, he had to admit that no one could get things done like his brother.

...which was why Seto was going to give him _that look_. Crap.

The city unfolded itself around him as Mokuba flitted on. The 'Boh rose up around him on both sides, a neighbourhood in the southeast of the city that was known for its vibrant culture and independent artists and stores. It was a great place to spend a summer afternoon strolling around, trying out pastries in one of the many little specialty bakeries or shopping for something colourful and one of a kind made by a local crafts-person. Mokuba knew it well (his favourite pub to sneak into was in the area too) but that wasn't what made him do a double take as he zipped down the central street. No! It was a pay phone, one of the old fashioned ones that you almost never saw on city streets anymore. Before he'd even given it a thought Mokuba was careening his bike towards the sidewalk and forcing it into an awkward and slightly too-small gap of a parking space.

If he could find what he needed here then he could save maybe fifteen minutes and that just might make all the difference. After quickly making sure that his bike was fine and secure, Mokuba shot a glance both ways before jogging across the street. There weren't too many people around yet, really, but Mokuba still didn't want to chance being recognized right now. He loved meeting and talking to people almost as much as Seto hated it, but right now he just didn't have the time, and he hated to be rude. So to keep things simple and efficient he kept his helmet on and gave thanks for the bright morning sunshine as he gleefully grabbed hold of the dog-eared telephone book attached to the pay phone.

Flipping quickly through the pages Mokuba scanned for what he needed. Tailors, tailors... what would they be under...? Oh. Tailors. That made life surprisingly easy. With a lopsided grin Mokuba began to quickly read through the list, sorting the entries quickly in his head for location. He was willing to call anyone anywhere at this point, but if he could find somebody not too far away then it would make his life SO much easier. He didn't even care is they stitched the suit crookedly with bright red thread, he just needed _something_.

As he mentally sorted different businesses and individuals (quick reading was a trait he shared with his brother) Mokuba skimmed towards the end of the page. _435 Mana Street_... that was really close to here, wasn't it? He could call this one for sure. In fact... that must be really, _really_ close... Mokuba frowned slightly and glanced up at 435 Mana Street, directly in front of him. Well. Goddamn.

It was a pretty unassuming little shop front, which was probably why he hadn't really noticed it before. A narrow little door with slightly peeling paint sat beside a rather dusty looking window emblazoned with gold lettering reading 'BLACK DRAGON TAILORING'. So it didn't look like much, but what the heck, he was here and if the tailor here couldn't do it then it wasn't the end of the world. He could get right on with his phone calling and at least he'd have crossed one off the list.

Nodding slightly to himself, Mokuba put down the phone book and ran back across the street to grab the suit in the garment bag slung haphazardly across the back of his bike. Then, with no time to waste, he ran back again and headed up to the door of the little tailoring shop, his hand wrapping around the gold handle and pushing open the door.

The interior of the shop was cozy and sunlit, and at first glance it looked more like a room in someone's house than a store. Posters and pictures of all kinds of different things - concerts, bands, art, news announcements, sketches, photos, jokes - covered the walls, and different kinds of clothing lay across different surfaces and decorated a couple of mannequins near the front. There were also a couple of ragged but comfortable looking chairs and a little coffee table near the window, and a counter a little further back where someone was apparently sitting with their feet kicked up on the wooden surface.

"Mornin'!" The figure behind the counter greeted, apparently not feeling bothered enough to take his feet off of the counter. He was blond, looked maybe twenty, and the grin he shot Mokuba from over some stitch work he seemed to be picking at was as daring and unrepentant as any you'd see in a pirate movie. Mokuba instantly kind of loved both the store and this guy. He grinned back, although of course he knew it couldn't really be seen under his helmet. Right. He'd have to do something about that.

Mokuba slid up the visor on his helmet but didn't yet take it off.

"Hi!" he greeted cheerfully (if also muffledly). "I need a suit tailored. Is your boss here?"

"Nope," the blond replied, still grinning, and went back to picking at the stitches.

"Oh. Um." Mokuba paused, trying to figure out what to do. "I'm kinda in a hurry, so do you think they'll be back soon?"

The blond behind the counter laughed a little and finally moved his legs so his feet dropped to the floor. Setting his elbows on the counter he gave Mokuba a less rogueish and more curious smile.

"It's just me here, kiddo. What can I do for ya'?"

Just him? Weird. Okay.

"I uh, the suit." Mokuba lifted it up again. "I need it tailored really fast."

Putting down the bit of whatever he was working on (it looked like a sleeve to Mokuba but it was hard to tell) the young man nodded a little and stood up.

"Yeah, sure, okay. How fast are we talkin' about?"

He walked around the counter, and Mokuba realized they were almost the same height, even though the other was clearly older. It made him grin even wider. He still had to answer the question rather sheepishly, however.

"...this afternoon?"

The blond snorted a laugh and reached out to grab the suit from Mokuba who let him take it.

"Cutting things a little bit close, maybe?"

"Hey, it happens!" Mokuba retorted good-naturedly.

Okay, so the guy was nice. He might be the worst tailor ever (it was possible, he didn't seem very professional) but he _was_ nice, and Mokuba liked him already. So might as well get it over with and not make a big deal out of it. When the blond turned the other way to pull the suit out of its protective covering Mokuba took the opportunity to pull off his motorcycle helmet and walk over to lean against the counter. He also really did like the store, he noted. It wasn't really messy, just a bit disorganized.

"What's your name, anyway?" Mokuba asked, watching with a smirk as the young tailor examined his wrinkled suit critically.

"Joey. Wheeler." He pointed distractedly to some business cards propped up on the counter. "Isn't this suit a Laurentis? Holy shit, you want me to _touch_ this? And holy crap you're Prince Mokuba."

The blond - Joey - had turned around, and he stared at Mokuba a little bit like a deer caught in the headlights. Mokuba smiled a little embarrassedly once again and scratched the back of his head.

"Um. Yeah. I am. Sorry about that."

"...shit, this means I _have _to finish this by this afternoon, don't it?"

The somewhat resigned, matter of fact way he said it made Mokuba laugh despite himself. He didn't know Joey Wheeler from a hole in the ground, but the tailor _was_ kind of entertaining.

"Only if you have time. If you can't do it, that's okay. I'll see if I can find somewhere else to take it."

"Well, uh, your Highness..." Joey started awkwardly, his slangy accent making the words sound even more humourously stilted. Mokuba winced.

"Please don't. Mokuba works great. Trust me." Joey seemed to brighten up a little at that, although he still looked faintly awed.

"But oh man, I can't believe _you_ are here and you want me to alter a Laurentis suit. Shit I can't believe I'm touching one..." Joey ran his fingers over the fabric a touch reverentially. "I mean look at the detailing on the lining! Man."

Approaching slightly, Mokuba nodded.

"Normally I'd take this to him, but erm, I kind of forgot about it and he's in Paris for a show until Sunday..."

Seeming to make up his mind, Joey turned to Mokuba with a dazzlingly wide grin.

"Okay. I'll do it for ya' by this afternoon."

Mokuba's stomach practically leapt with delight and he did a little dance on the spot.

"Yesss! Perfect! Thanks so much, Joey!"

Walking through the dusty sunshine back over to the counter and laying the suit down on it's surface, Joey laughed and shook his head.

"Aren't ya' even gonna ask how much this is gonna cost ya'?" He seemed genuinely both curious and amused.

"Hm? Oh, it's not a big deal. I'll pay however much it costs," Mokuba assured him with a smile.

"Freak," Joey informed him cheerfully, ignoring the instantly shocked look that appeared on Mokuba's face. For someone who had been astonished to find a member of the royal family in his store just a moment ago, he seemed remarkably at ease now. It was kind of awesome. "You should at least ask, it'll make me feel better."

"...how much will it cost?" Mokuba asked after a beat, struggling not to laugh and honestly still trying to work out the tailor's sense of humour.

"Well, it depends exactly how much work I'm gonna have to do - I'll figure that out after ya' try this on and I take your measurements - but multiple or major alterations usually end up runnin' about fifty bucks."

"Fifty!" Mokuba stared at the tailor, surprised but also feeling kind of elated. He kind of wanted to do a dance again, but decided he might want to pretend to some small amount of dignity. "You know most people would charge me ten times that amount, right?"

"What!" Joey looked genuinely scandalized. "That's a crime! You're... they should be payin' ya just to walk into their crummy stores!"

Unable to help himself, Mokuba started to laugh again. Joey just continued to mutter darkly under his breath as he jotted down a couple of notes on a lined pad on his counter. There were sketches and written notes spread all over the counter top rather thoughtlessly, and Mokuba couldn't help a brief longing to sit and look through them all.

When Joey was done, he looked up at the younger boy who happened to be second in line to the throne of the entire country.

"Arright your highness," - this time he said it deliberately cheekily - "let's get this on you so we can see exactly how much work I've gotta fit into the next couple'a hours."

He carefully handed Mokuba the garments and pointed him towards an area in the back where there was a very clearly marked changing room.

"Hop to it, we don't got all day here!"

Mokuba grinned and mimed a salute which caused Joey to laugh and blush a little, much to the young prince's amusement. Even if Joey Wheeler turned out to be really bad at his job, at least he was fun to talk to. And who knows? He might even turn out to be really good at it. Mokuba was optimistic by nature, something which Seto had never really understood, and he didn't mind giving people the benefit of the doubt. A lot of the time they surprised you, and he meant that in the good way.

It didn't take long for him to pull off the casual clothing he was wearing for his morning of determined blending into the background, and then he hurriedly pulled on the suit that was currently the bane of his existence. The thing had been specifically designed to fit him perfectly. ...three months ago. Which made it totally ridiculous that the legs and sleeves were now too short, and that the jacket fell all weird. He knew he was going through a bit of a growth spurt, but this was just too much. Frowning at his reflection in the mirror propped up in the change room, Mokuba stuck his tongue out at it quickly before he stepped out into the shop proper.

"This is awful. I don't even know if it can be fixed."

Mokuba held out his arms to demonstrate both the shortness and the weird fit. Honestly he should have just gotten another suit made, but he'd been so sure that there wouldn't be a problem. Then when it became apparent that there would be he'd still had two and a half weeks, which had seemed like lots of time two and a half weeks ago... stupid Seto and his always being right.

The tailor, Joey, had come up, and he looked much calmer and more business-like now. With a couple of pins and a tape measure on-hand he circled Mokuba once with a critical gaze, his brown eyes sweeping across the fabric.

"Yeah this is gonna take a bit of doing..." Joey murmured mostly to himself as he reached up to examine the left sleeve. Mokuba tried not to let his hopes drop again after rising so quickly; he knew he could be a bit of a roller coaster that way and it was important to stay positive. Joey had said he would do this for him and so he was going to trust the tailor and see how it turned out. Then... well, he'd deal with it after that, and at least Seto wouldn't be able to say he hadn't tried.

Joey's hands moved to the body of the jacket, and he drew it in a little at the back to get an idea of how he could do this in the brief time he had. Pulling up one of the pins he slid it easily into the yielding fabric before adding several others. He paused and considered it for a moment before returning to stand in front of Mokuba again, frowning ever so slightly.

"Arright, I think I can do this. There ain't really too much I can do about the sleeve length right now, but I've got an idea. We'll get to that after, though. To start I'm gonna take in the jacket a bit and take out the hem on the pants."

"And that'll do it?" Mokuba asked, unable to hide the hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Yeah, it should," Joey informed him, his serious expression starting to fall away once again. "It ain't gonna look exactly like it did before when I'm done, but hey, maybe it'll be better." Joey winked quickly with a smirk and Mokuba stifled a laugh. It wasn't necessary to point out that Laurentis was the top designer in the country and one of the best in the world. With a faint shake of his head and a grin, Mokuba turned back to the change room.

"I'm gonna take these back off now. Do you mind if I hang out here while you work?"

"Nah, s'cool," Joey called back as Mokuba disappeared behind the curtain to change back into his regular clothes "Though maybe I'll send ya out on a coffee run as punishment. Yeah, I can see you as a coffee boy." Joey snickered to himself as he returned to the counter to scribble down another note and to fumble around for the things he was going to need.

Mokuba snorted his own laugh to himself in the changing area, and when he emerged several minutes later with the suit in hand, he passed it off to Joey with a gleam of pleasure and amusement in his eyes

"So if I'm the coffee boy, what does that make you? The golden retriever who waits outside?"

There was a beat of silence and then suddenly several pads of paper were flying directly at Mokuba's head in a flurry of laughter.

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><p>The faint strains of music and distant conversation drifted through the closed door as Mokuba Kaiba turned to the mirror one last time to adjust his tie. He stood straight-backed with his shoulders squared, his hair temporarily tamed back into a semblance of order. It wouldn't last the night, of course, but at least Seto and their father would approve of the effort.<p>

Only a few minutes now.

There was the sound of light footsteps behind him, and Mokuba sighed quietly before turning towards the place where they would make their grand entrance. The newly arrived figure that stood beside him was taller - still significantly taller - and dressed impeccably in jet black that contrasted with Mokuba's sharp charcoal grey. They said nothing for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts about the evening in front of them, and Mokuba hesitated a moment before starting to move towards the door.

"Mokuba."

Mokuba stopped instantly, his head turning sharply so that he could look up at his big brother. Razor-sharp blue eyes and an unreadable expression met his curious gaze, and he tilted his head slightly.

"What is it, Seto?"

There was another moment of silence until Seto stepped forward to close the distance between them and the door himself, his hand resting lightly on top of the handle. He didn't look at Mokuba when he spoke.

"I can't help but notice that that doesn't look like Laurentis' handiwork."

The words and the tone of voice were ominous. _Crap_. Mokuba cursed silently to himself and wondered how he could have possible believed Seto wouldn't notice. Seto noticed _everything_.

"Big brother I-"

"It looks good."

The faintest hint of a - was that teasing? - smirk ghosted the corner of Seto's mouth as he quickly smoothed one lapel of his own jacket. Mokuba stared at his brother for a moment before finally shaking his head and grinning to himself. _Stupid Seto and his always being right._

The handle turned and the door opened, letting in the night.

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><p><em><strong>AN:** Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the prologue and/or favourited or followed this story! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter although it doesn't answer many questions. Give me two more chapters and I think you'll get a better idea of where I'm going with this._ _(The answer? Puppyshipping in a castle. And in a field. And in a desert. And on Joey's counter. Yeah. That'll probably happen, not even gonna lie.) _


	3. Chapter 2

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**Chapter 2: Enter Stage Left**

**..**

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><p>"How long do you think you'll be, Seto?"<p>

Mokuba Kaiba's voice filled his brother's private dressing room easily, warm and lively though also animated by an uncharacteristic note of reluctance. There was no hint of unease in his posture though, as he'd spent enough time lounging around this room over the years to have long since gotten over the rigorous personal space boundaries Seto was always setting up for other people.

Seto Kaiba, crown prince of Domino, shrugged on a white dress shirt with ease.

"No more than three days. I intend to make sure Leichter understands his place, and then when he's appropriately cowed I'll be back on the first flight I can catch."

Long, elegant fingers deftly pressed buttons into their proper places as unreadable blue eyes regarded themselves absently in the mirror. Seto Kaiba was not especially vain, but he understood the power and the politics of appearance better than most and he was never above exploiting anything that could give him the edge on an opponent.

Mokuba simply sighed loudly, dropping rather melodramatically into a handy plush chair. He twisted his mouth into a crooked line that made an admirable attempt at being a cross between a pout and a glare.

"I don't see why you have to go. Isn't that what the ambassador is _for_? Besides, if anyone is going to go in person it should be dad."

Seto, as usual, made no reaction to his younger brother's rather heavy-handed remarks. Instead he merely adjusted his collar before reaching for the navy blazer lying neatly folded on the desk to his right. After a moment of silence had passed he glanced toward his brother's reflection.

"This is a very particular situation. _As you know._" The rebuke was subtle but felt nonetheless, and Mokuba huffed a little with a dirty look to his brother before sprawling back on the chair even more ridiculously. It wasn't that he didn't understand, just that he didn't like it.

"I know, but I worry about you, big brother. I hate it when you have to go there. Can't I at least come with you?"

"No."

Of course. Typical Seto answer. Mokuba rolled his eyes while his brother carefully donned the blazer, quickly smoothing the crisp lines.

"Fine. I had other plans anyway."

Seto didn't so much as blink in curiosity, much to Mokuba's irritation. He loved his brother more than anyone in the world and he understood Seto better than anyone too, but that didn't mean that his brother didn't occasionally drive him mad.

"Aren't you at least going to ask who I'm spending my time with? Make sure I'm not consorting with bandits and ruffians?"

"No," Seto simply answered again, his cold eyes quickly turning to Mokuba's own as he pivoted away from the mirror. "You're old enough to make your own decisions, and to accept the consequences."

"Fine, I guess I'm going out for beers tonight then," Mokuba retorted back, not able to smother the smile that tugged its way up to his lips. He was dreadfully bad at staying angry at anyone, and Seto most of all.

His brother snorted (his version of an irritated laugh) and shook his head slightly. Mokuba had to admit that with the tall, sharp figure his brother cut, he could probably intimidate ninety percent of people into the ground with only a simple stare. Too bad his brother was flying to Mikenno to meet with one of the craziest people on this side of the Atlantic. Mokuba sighed again and pushed himself rather haphazardly out of the chair so that he could stand too.

"I get it, Seto. Just don't let any of the Big Five push you around, okay? Not that you ever do," he amended quickly. His brother simply nodded. "Alright, alright, I'll let you go. But just so you know, I'm going to have a picnic with a new friend I met and some of his friends. It should be awesome. I'm pretty sure he's a convicted murderer."

Mokuba winked floridly as he moved to the door, only giving his brother time to roll his eyes.

"Have a good trip, big brother. I'll see you when you get back!" And with that he was gone, leaving Seto Kaiba standing in the sudden stillness, contemplating just how much trouble his brother could get himself into in three days' time. The answer was undoubtedly a lot. It wasn't that he didn't trust Mokuba, but simply that he trusted almost no one else. Despite his brother's many exhortations on the subject he was almost inevitably proved right.

Moving silently to the narrow oak desk in the corner of the room, Seto picked up his personal blackberry lying on the table surface. In less than two seconds the phone was at his ear, and the line ringing.

A beat, and then –

"Your Highness."

"I've told you not to call me that, Roland."

"Yes sir, precisely 93 times."

"Oh good. Maybe when I reach one hundred you'll finally listen to me."

"Maybe, sir. I suppose the world does work in mysterious ways."

The prince inhaled and fought the urge to rub the bridge of his nose.

"Nevermind. I need you to keep a particularly sharp watch on my brother while I'm away."

"Of course, sir. Is there anything specific I should be vigilant for?"

"He's spending time with new company. One individual in particular… he's been to see him or her three times this week already. Probably a girlfriend. I expect a full background report on everyone concerned waiting on my desk by the time I return."

"Certainly, sir. I'll take care of it personally."

"Thank you, Roland. Have a pleasant weekend."

"You too, sir."

The line went dead, and Seto Kaiba quickly moved to end the call as well. There wasn't much time left and still many things to do before he would be on his way. In six hours he would be on the ground in Mikenno once again, and before that he still had several things to see to, as well as a final briefing with his father. That was of less importance, however.

First he had his own plans to make.

* * *

><p>Strolling along the side of Karim Park, Joey Wheeler was pretty damn certain that this was just about the best goddamn time of year. As the gold August sun baked down from above, an easy breeze came up from the south, stirring the grass and lightening the air. Joey grinned to himself and broke into a whistle.<p>

The unfortunately-almost-as-tall-as-him royal squirt meandering along beside him started to laugh before running his fingers through a tangle in his unruly black hair.

"Joey, you suck at whistling. Isn't that the song that never ends?"

"An' it goes on and on my friends?" Joey shot back, chipper as ever. His large grin and infectious good humour were the two things Mokuba liked best about him, and between the two of them nothing ever managed to stay serious for a period of time longer than approximately thirty seconds.

"Some people started singing it, not knowing what it was," Mokuba informed Joey with the most mournful solemnity that he could possibly manage. "And, tragically, they'll continue singing it forever just because…"

For a moment they stared at each other in a contest of melancholy faces until, of course, the two of them cracked up almost simultaneously. Joey promptly whacked Mokuba in the shoulder with unnecessary cheer.

"Aren't you too young to know what that shit is?"

"Duh, Youtube," Mokuba answered with a grandiose shrug. The two of them continued to snicker as they walked under the fringe of trees that bordered this part of the park.

"So where are your friends meeting us?" Mokuba brought himself around to asking, his curiosity getting the better of him. "You already told me all about Yugi, but what are the rest of them like? I mean, just in case you're friends with a bunch of convicted felons or something. I don't want Special Services showing up, it's been almost a week since my last bloodbath and I want to beat my record," he joked with amusement swimming in his eyes.

"Pretty sure I'm the most disreputable of the bunch," Joey informed him with a smirk. "Unless Tristan's made another pass at my sister, in which case I can GUARANTEE you I'm the most disreputable an' bloodthirsty."

"Oh, so that's how it is?"

"Nah, but seriously, they're all really good guys. I already told you about Yug', he's a real good friend of mine and I bet you'll love him. Téa's his girfrien- shit, sorry, fiancé, and she's kinda bossy but y'know, women." Joey shrugged as if to express the weight of the world on his shoulders. "An' Tristan, well, he's been my best bud since we were little kids, and even though I'm probably gonna kill him I love that dude.

"Ryou and Duke are the other two. Ryou's real quiet but he's fun when you get him going, and Duke…" Here Joey made a face, eliciting a snort of laughter from his younger friend. "Duke is Duke, and also probably on my hit list. Lucky for him Yugi likes 'im enough for both of us."

"Sounds colourful. You sure they won't mind me crashing your picnic?"

"Not a bit!" Joey replied with a huge smile. "Speak a' the devils, I think that's Yug' an' Téa now... Hey, Yug', over here!"

"Joey, hey! Over this way, Téa!" came the resulting yelp of greeting, and Mokuba watched with crossed arms and an expectant grin as two figures came into view.

One of them was another man, probably about the same age as Joey (21, he'd learned, although neither Joey nor this new guy really looked it) although much shorter than both of them. He had wild, spiked hair in multiple colours, and as he jogged closer – tugging the second figure, his fiancé along – Mokuba quickly noted his open expression and easy laughter. Téa, the woman, was taller than Yugi by half a head, and she was smiling at both Yugi and Joey with genuine warmth as she allowed herself to be towed along.

"Hey you two," Joey greeted them with a grin. Yugi, who'd been carrying a rather large cooler, dropped it on the ground with a pleased smile as he came to a stop in front of his waiting friend. He quickly turned to include Mokuba in his greeting as well.

"Hi Joey, I'm sorry we're late. You must be Mokuba." Yugi offered a hand, and Mokuba took it without hesitation. He instantly liked the firm handshake and the confident way Yugi stood, somehow managing to seem taller than his height. There was a sharpness and a joyfulness about his eyes that was almost magnetic.

"Yugi, right? It's nice to meet you," Mokuba replied honestly. "And you too, Téa." He reached over and shook her hand as well, which she received with a warm hand of her own and a little blush accompanying her smile.

"Your Highness," she replied back, a little twinkle of mirth in her eyes as she said it. Oh yes, he was going to like these people just fine. Then again he probably should have known; Joey Wheeler definitely wasn't the type to keep people around who weren't totally awesome.

Groaning and scrunching his nose to make a face, Mokuba glared at his friend.

"Joey, you told me they wouldn't call me that."

"Yep, I lied," Joey replied cheerfully, moving over to give Yugi a quick half hug, and then a similar one to Téa. Yugi just laughed, with Téa quickly chiming in.

"Sorry about that, it's just hard to get over the fact that _Joey_is friends with a prince."

"Hey, what's that supposed ta' mean?" Joey demanded, trying to look offended and failing miserably.

"Well, you're just not very… royal," Téa pronounced, suppressed laughter animating her face. "But it's okay, Joey, we love you anyway."

"Hmph." Joey mimicked Mokuba's earlier stance and folded his arms, also adopting a forced pout. "Some friends you guys turn out to be, makin' fun a' me in front of my new pal here,"

"You'd think you'd be used to it by now," interrupted a new voice from somewhere to the right. Everyone's heads quickly turned to look. "Seeing as how you can't keep from making a fool out of yourself every two minutes without our help."

The brunet standing about ten feet away with his hands on his hips and a challenging smirk was flanked by two others, one a shorter man with black hair and vivid green eyes (that he was currently in the process of rolling), and the other a very soft looking young man with shockingly white hair and a regretfully amused look on his face.

"Tristan! Why I oughtta…"

Before Mokuba could blink Joey had taken off towards the brunet (Tristan, he assumed) and was bee-lining for him with a loud growl. Tristan apparently had anticipated this reaction, because almost as soon as Joey had started running for him he'd turned to make a getaway. It was obvious which one was the faster of the two though because Tristan only made it a few steps before Joey was on top of him – literally. He'd jumped onto the back of his fleeing friend and was doing his best to punch him in the shoulder as they both toppled towards the ground amidst helpless laughter from everyone watching.

Yugi, who didn't even bother to keep the smiling affection off of his face, glanced over to Mokuba.

"You'll have to forgive them. They've been friends since they were six and their favourite way of showing it is by hurting each other."

Mokuba's answering laugh was both surprised and real.

"I don't understand even a little bit, but I think I like it."

"That's good," Téa told him archly, "because I don't think they plan to stop anytime soon."

There was a muffled yelp from the heap that was Joey and Tristan as one of them seemed to have grabbed the other by the hair.

"I say we ignore them and get this picnic started. C'mon! You have to come and meet Duke and Ryou."

Yugi grabbed his over-sized cooler again and the three of them trudged down the incline towards where the other two newcomers were standing, watching the pitched battle with an arched eyebrow (Duke) and a slowly shaking head (Ryou).

"Hi guys!" Yugi greeted, finally averting his eyes from his battling friends. "It's good to see you. Especially you, Duke, I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, well, you know. Keeping busy," Duke replied breezily, using one hand to effortlessly brush dark hair behind his ear. "You should come by once in a while and then it wouldn't be so long."

"You know he can't." Téa playfully smacked him in the arm and received a glower for her trouble. "You're the one who put those stupid conflict of interest rules in place, so don't start getting on Yugi's case."

"Obviously he should just come and work for me," was Duke's easy answer, although he ducked his head slightly and winked almost too fast to catch in Yugi's direction as he did so. "Then – problem solved."

"Oh get over it, Duke," Yugi told him with a grin. "I'm too good for you anyway. Now stop being rude and say hello to Mokuba, Joey's friend."

Striking green eyes blinked once in Mokuba's direction from a suddenly blank face.

"…Joey wasn't kidding? Whoa, I uh."

An extremely pale hand landed lightly on Duke's shoulder as Ryou, the last one of the group, gave his friend a reproving glance.

"Don't be formal, this is Joey's _friend_." Stepping forward, Ryou offered his hand to shake, and he smiled as Mokuba accepted and shook it. He came across almost as sweet as he looked, his lightly accented voice pleasant. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mokuba. I'm Ryou Bakura, and this here is Duke Devlin."

"Pleased to meet you," Mokuba informed him jovially. "It's kind of crazy meeting all of these new people at once. I mean I'm pretty used to it, but the people I meet are usually kinda stiff. So it's really nice to meet Joey's friends and I hope you guys don't mind me tagging along on your picnic. Joey said you wouldn't, but if you do…"

"Nah, they don't mind a bit. Knowing Yug', he probably packed enough to feed an extra five people, so don't worry about that."

Joey sauntered back over to the group – while Tristan brushed himself off in the background – and stopped beside Yugi, putting one hand teasingly on top of his friend's head. Yugi just smiled up at him, apparently not deterred in the slightest.

"Of course!" he agreed. "Some of it's still in the car, though, so someone is going to have to go and get the rest of it."

"Someone?" Téa asked with a little smile. "More like all of them. Don't think I didn't see you putting that stuff in the trunk."

"I nominate Tristan!" Joey proclaimed loudly, and promptly had a twig thrown at his head.

"Whatever," Tristan told him with as much condescension as he could manage. "_You_go do the menial work. Thanks to your lunatic ways I haven't gotten to meet our newest best buddy here, so go make yourself useful while I do some schmoozing."

Duke rolled his eyes again in what was apparently his signature expression.

"_Both _of you losers go open the car. That's what we keep you around for anyway."

"Wrong," Téa said firmly, one hand on her hip. "That's what all three of you are for. Now go make yourselves useful while these three help me set up." She handed the car keys very decisively to Joey and pointed in the direction of the street to the east. "_Go_."

With a collective sigh and a muttered _told ya' she's bossy_from Joey, the three friends set out to find the car and the rest of the supplies. Téa, in the meantime, slid the small backpack on her back off and moved to unzip it.

"Here guys, help me lay this out." Extracting a very carefully folded sheet from the bag, Téa held it up and began to shake it out. Yugi quickly reached to catch the far end as it tumbled down to the grass, and he and Téa shared a private smile. Ryou, nodding in a friendly way to Mokuba, inclined his head towards the couple.

"I think we should probably help before Téa finds something else for us to do. Don't you agree?"

"And how!" Mokuba replied fervently, hurrying forward to help stretch out the pale blue sheet and lower it down to the warm, dry grass. He couldn't help but watch the others curiously as they carefully straightened the folds.

"What is it you do, Yugi?"

"Oh, I'm a programmer!" Yugi looked up at him, seemingly surprised by the interest. "I work on games, mostly. Nothing very important."

"Oh, you're always so modest," Ryou told his friend. He too looked towards Mokuba. "In fact Yugi is one of the top programmers in the world. He's the one largely responsible for Dragon's Flight V, and Kame Games surging back to the top of the industry."

Mokuba stared for a moment with his mouth slightly open.

"What? Really! That's one of my all-time favourite games!"

"Hey, that wasn't just me-!" Yugi tried to insist, but Téa shushed him quickly with a laugh.

"It was pretty much all him. You wouldn't believe how many nights I had to bring him dinner when he was finishing the character model for Atem."

"Well it was worth it, wasn't it?" Yugi retorted, giving her a pained look. "He's the main character after all. It had to be just right."

Shaking her head fondly, Téa stepped back from the sheet on the ground for a moment to survey the job properly done.

"Whatever you say, Yugi." She turned her smile to Mokuba and Ryou before moving forward again and carefully kneeling down on the soft-looking material. "He's a bit of a work-a-holic, but it could be worse I guess. At least he had the good sense to tell Duke there was no way he'd work on projects for him _too_."

Following Téa's example, Mokuba cheerfully sat down, putting his hands in the grass behind him and leaning back a little.

"Duke makes games too?"

"Yes," Ryou confirmed, taking a seat close by. "He's actually the head of Black Clown Games. It's a company he started in high school, and although they specialize in table-top gaming, Duke's pushing to try to break into electronic games as well."

"There are just so many possibilities!" Yugi chimed in as pulled his cooler over and tugged off the cover. "I don't blame him. I just think his team is going to make great games all on their own. They don't need me."

Mokuba whistled slightly and tilted his head to give Yugi a curious stare.

"You guys did all that already? That's crazy! And Joey has his own store, too... Now _I _feel like the underachiever." He laughed.

"It's true they all worked hard..." Ryou spoke up again. "Joey started that store thanks to the property his dad left him, but he's making it work all on his own. And as for Yugi, well..."

Yugi blushed a little and busied himself with pulling out different things from the cooler. It was hard not to be distracted by the variety of delicious looking things appearing on the blanket, but Mokuba tried to focus on Yugi himself. Téa, smiling, intervened.

"Yugi did his bachelor's degree in programming in two years, and he was hired right out of school. It's enough to make you jealous, right? I'm just an intern at the local paper."

"Téa!" Yugi exclaimed, looking up hurriedly. "You're doing great and you love your job! Why would you be jealous?"

With a laugh Téa leaned forward and threw her arms around Yugi in a quick hug which he returned after a moment, grinning bashfully from ear to ear. Mokuba found that he couldn't help smiling right along with them, despite the fact that he wasn't really directly included. Their happiness was just sort of... contagious. Maybe he should drag Seto along sometime. Which reminded him...

"My brother did his degree in two years too, you know. At the University of Domino. Which is awful, because now I'll never live up to that." Mokuba grimaced at no one in particular.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Your brainiac brother doesn't know lots of things, so I wouldn't worry."

Joey's voice floated over to the seated four, and Mokuba looked up to see the other three trudging in their direction, each laden with a variety of packages and containers.

"Oh gosh, Téa, you weren't kidding," Ryou murmured, though he made absolutely no move to get up and help and instead ventured a teasing grin at Joey, Tristan and Duke. Yugi, on the other hand, immediately jumped up and jogged over to grab a pile of paper plates and cups from Tristan.

"Psh, Seto knows more than you ever will," Mokuba called back playfully. He was rather enjoying the way Joey couldn't quite keep the cutlery balanced on top of the stack of small boxes he was carrying.

"You would say that," was Joey's retort as he concentrated very hard on getting everything over in one piece. Téa, taking pity, got up and went to assist him.

It didn't take long for them to get everything set down and for everyone to find themselves a place to sit. Joey sat down next to Yugi and across from Mokuba who smirked at him while his obviously hungry friend rustled through the various delicacies Yugi had obviously both bought and made.

"Geeze, Yugi, you'd think you were going to feed an army," Tristan proclaimed as he piled a plate high with sandwiches, devilled eggs, salad, fruit, garlic bread and a couple of pastries on top for good measure.

"Between you and Wheeler it's about the same thing, so I guess he got it right," Duke shot back, locating the large container of strawberries and helping himself.

Joey's mouth was too full to retort, but the glare on his face said most of it for him. Mokuba did his best not to snicker too loudly but still managed to earn himself a baleful stare anyway. After a moment when Joey had managed to swallow, he gave everyone his most cheesy smile.

"I bet ya' anything Pri- I mean your brother is probably eatin' at a fancy table and having a ritzy, boring time right now. I totally know better than him."

Mokuba, trying not to think too hard about what his brother was actually doing _right now_, rolled his eyes.

"He's actually on a diplomatic trip to Mikenno, _for your information_. So don't say anything bad about him, okay?"

"Oh, none of us would anyway," Téa reassured him gently. "Joey just likes to say dumb things that he thinks will get him attention."

"Yeah, especially if they're about a certain Prince," Tristan added with a sneaky grin in Joey's direction.

"Hey, what!" Joey looked mildly scandalized. "I like to follow politics, alright? What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, Joey. You just cut out an awful lot of articles is all," Ryou told him.

"I like ta' use scissors! It's what I do! Give me a break, guys. This is real embarrassing." Joey had in fact turned bright red, and Mokuba had to do his best not to laugh at his friend's expense, even if he didn't entirely understand the joke.

"Okay, you like politics. So what do you think about Seto?"

"Wha- what kinda question is that!"

Mokuba laughed loudly and so did most of the rest of the group. Leaning forward in order to hook the bag of fresh bread rolls closer and extract one for himself, Mokuba just busied himself with taking a bite and relaxing in the sunshine. He was quite certain that it was impossible to not love making Joey Wheeler squirm.

"I asked what you think about Seto! It's not that complicated a question, Joey. Or did I use too many big words again?" Mokuba's grin couldn't have been any bigger if he'd tried, and Duke laughed louder at that than he had at anything else. Joey just growled loudly, causing the younger boy to start to laugh again.

"No good royal twerp, don't know why I let ya' hang around."

"Hey now, Joey," Tristan interceded, after polishing off a danish. "Don't go being rude to our new friend here. We'd hate to have to ask you to leave." Snickering, Mokuba nodded.

"Yeah! And anyway it's because I'm adorable," Mokuba informed Joey helpfully. "Now answer the question!"

Yugi watched the exchange with a knowing smile, and said nothing. Téa's hand found his and squeezed it gently while Joey continued to glower at everyone like a thunderhead.

"Geeze, arright already!" Joey held up his hands as though to show his surrender, although he was still glaring in that way he had that meant he was only playacting being annoyed. "What do I think o' your snobby-ass brother? Well…"

"Hey!" Mokuba retorted with a snort.

"Don't ask if you don't want to hear the answer," Joey informed Mokuba airily, making a show of crossing his arms and raising his chin. Since he was currently sporting a dusting of what looked like powdered sugar on his cheek, it didn't add much to his air of credibility. Mokuba, who was fairly certain he de-aged a couple of years for every day he spent around the ridiculous tailor, stuck his tongue out.

"Seto's doing the best job he can. And even though he doesn't care about the critics, he really doesn't need any more."

"That's for sure," Ryou murmured quietly, and Joey nodded grudgingly too after a moment.

"Yeah, I know, trust me. Ya'd think none of the fucking journalists in the damn country ever heard of cuttin' a guy a break."

"Probably because they haven't," Téa agreed wryly. "Take it from me, anything that guy does is instant fodder for the gossip columns. I've had to copy edit three stories about who he _might_be having lunch with in the last week alone."

"Right!" Mokuba agreed quickly, his smile becoming a little bit sad. "It's always either serious news items about how he's doing everything wrong or it's teen gossip magazines talking about how he's the most eligible bachelor on this side of the planet."

Tristan snorted a laugh.

"Right, 'cause I can totally picture your brother shacking up with a girl who got romance advice from _Teen Scream_."

"Or, ya know, anybody. Are you sure he ain't a robot?" Joey added with a wicked smirk and an eyebrow that definitely didn't know its place.

"Joey!" Ryou exclaimed. Mokuba, however, just began to laugh loudly and then quickly covered his mouth in repentance, tossing a glare in his friend's direction.

"He's not a robot. At least I'm pretty sure. You know, 65%"

Joey laughed again and put his plate down before stretching his hands in the air above his head, allowing his shirt to ride up a little before pulling it back down.

"Speak a' the devil, are you sure your brother's not gonna have some muscle show up here and kill me for kidnapping ya' or something? I mean you've been hanging out a lot lately," Joey asked curiously, trying very hard not to cast a wary eye towards the tree line in the distance.

"He's not gonna do anything," Mokuba replied confidently with a little wave of a hand. "It's kind of a deal we have. Dad worked out that agreement with the media when big brother was going to school, you know, asking that nobody follow him around all the time and stuff while he was trying to just learn. And now it's pretty much the same with me. And Seto and I agreed when I got my bike that I should just live my life as normally as possible while I'm at school, so he doesn't really pry very much."

Apparently unable to help himself, Joey peered at Mokuba curiously and tried to picture a world in which Prince Seto fucking Kaiba wouldn't pry into his little brother's comings and goings. Duke was the one to voice the thought, however.

"Yeah? I always had him pegged as a total control freak."

"Well, duh," Mokuba smirked back at him. "He's probably the biggest control freak alive. But he values his privacy a lot and I think he wants me to be able to have that too."

"Of course," Yugi agreed with a smile. "He obviously trusts you a lot, Mokuba, and I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

"Either that or we're going to walk into the store and find Joey's body one of these days," Téa philosophized, pressing her lips together quickly to hide her grin.

"And that day can't come fast enough," Tristan affirmed loudly.

"TRISTAN, SO HELP ME-"

The afternoon dissolved into laughter and sunshine on a blue sheet in a sea of warm grass as the breeze stirred around them, carrying the sounds of friends meeting and coming together again along with it in every direction.

* * *

><p>Wind whistled shrilly down a steep embankment as a dark car with tinted windows crawled slowly up a curling road. The procession of similar cars inching ahead and behind it through a brown landscape would have been a sight to see – if there had been anyone about to see it. As it were, the prince Seto Kaiba watched coldly through the shadowed windows, seeing nothing at all but scraggly trees twisting against the wind.<p>

The military encampment two hours outside of Lora was an uncompromising sort of place. Standing at the tip of the arid region stretching north-west through the far parts of the country and up across the border, the base was not just for show. Although it was not positioned to play any part in border defence, it was widely known to be the main training and staging ground for Mikenno's air force as well as a testing ground for technological experimentation.

There was a dry cough from the other man sharing the vehicle.

"We're almost there, Your Highness."

"Very astute, Leichter. It's almost as if you had the ability to look out a window."

"Ha ha, a good jest, Your Highness." The man's laugh was as patently false as his anticipatory smile was real. Seto Kaiba chose not to dignify him with either a reply or a glance, and he continued to watch the burnt landscape roll past as the procession of cars wound its way up and into the sprawling fortress known only as Kédo Two.

The pomp and ceremony of it was dull and completely inefficient, of course. But there was also a reason for it today, and a metallic taste of something close to power lingered in the air.

When Seto Kaiba stepped from the dark car into the cold entrance of Kédo Two, he acknowledged the salutes of the men at arms with only a nod. His security, inscrutable and always professional, exited the vehicles smartly, taking up their places in the background.

Damon Leichter, First Member of the Mikenno Council of Five, was positively gleeful as he was met by Owen Nezbitt, Standing Member of the five and head of the country's military research and development portfolio.

"Ah, Nezbitt! Here we are! Come and greet our honoured guest."

"Of course. Your Highness."

With a particularly unpleasant glint in his eye Nezbitt bowed low to the ground, exaggerating the motion into one that clearly indicated a degree of ridicule. The prince only watched him coldly, making no move to acknowledge the greeting.

Leichter, unfazed, swept forward with his grin only growing larger as the seconds ticked by.

"Come, come! There are many men just waiting to meet Your Highness, and then of course we must tour the facilities." There was no need to add the unspoken _the ones that we want you to see_. "If our nations are to work together we must of course be _open_ with one another."

Indifferent, the prince moved his eyes slowly from one man to the other. If he found anything worth his time and attention, he gave no such indication.

"I'm already bored, Leichter. I hope you didn't invite me here just so you could play with your toy soldiers."

"On the money as ever, Your Highness! But no, of course you are right. We've invited you to be the guest of honour as we unveil our newest technological developments. That is what friends do, after all. We want to be completely transparent in this."

The condescension almost dripping from his voice would have been lost on most people, but then again no one present could be considered 'most people'.

"Well then," the prince replied with a faint, mocking smile of his own. "Lead the way."

The two older men led the new procession on foot, and the prince Seto Kaiba followed them inward towards one of the many inner hidden places of the base. The security detail, alert as ever, kept their eyes open as they went. Croquet, leading the team from behind dark glasses, had earlier tasked them with remembering their exact route so it could be added to the known blueprints of the structure upon their return to Domino.

The way wasn't simple or straight forward, of course, and the formality of the occasion necessitated frequent stops to greet this particular lieutenant or that particular captain. If any of the men present found these pauses bothersome they gave no indication of that whatsoever. Leichter and Nezbitt made the requisite introductions while the prince greeted everyone he was presented with using a chilly politeness and no expression whatsoever.

It was perhaps a half hour later when they finally reached the field. And a field is exactly what it was – a wide sea of open grassy soil hidden away in one of the many extensions of the base. The prince let his eyes scan across it before silently crossing his arms.

"Here we are, Your Highness," Leichter told him far too jovially. "This is one of our many little test sites where we have our fun testing out new toys."

"The hole Nezbitt crawled out of then. It looks exactly like I thought it would." The prince didn't bother to keep the derision out of his voice now, but this only seemed to please Leichter and Nezbitt further.

"How droll. We of course hope it meets your rigorous standards, Your Highness," Nezbitt said with a sideways smirk to his compatriot who returned the look knowingly.

"Of course, we'd be absolutely devastated if we did anything but our best for our friend and ally."

"The feeling is mutual, of course." The prince's answer was terse.

With a short, ugly laugh Nezbitt stepped slightly apart from the others, pausing just briefly to run his eyes over the shadowy figures behind the prince. Apparently finding them not worth his consideration, Nezbitt gave one last self-satisfied glance to Leichter.

"Everything seems in order here. I'll just go get things started, shall I?"

When he received a nod of assent from Leichter, Nezbitt paced away from the group, disappearing into the large concrete building they'd passed through to reach this area. No one spoke, and the sound of the wind filled the emptiness.

They stood in the shadow cast by the building, and when movement finally came from the hangar at the south end of the field no one made any attempt to illuminate their presence. Instead they stood and watched as two rows of men led by Nezbitt tramped through out into the open, wheeling large metallic canisters after them.

There was a brief halt as the men came to a stop and milled briefly about the… whatever they were, seeming to open and unfold them as they worked. The prince's eyes narrowed infinitesimally.

"Lovely."

"Welcome to the future, Your Highness. Please save your applause until the end." Leichter's smile was actually barbed now.

There was some shouting from the men as they arranged the metallic structures into a line, spaced evenly with some six feet between each. After they were finished the majority of them drew back, leaving only one man standing behind each. Silence came again for a moment, and then… at first the barked orders were unintelligible from the watchers' vantage point. The last one, however, was clear to all. To their credit, not a single member of the prince's security so much as twitched.

"Fire!"

With a ripping sound, fire tore out of the mobile cannons and into the sky, roaring as it went. For a moment it seemed the vast area wouldn't even come close to containing the volley of screaming weaponry, but as fast as it had risen it came raining down again, searing everything it touched along the far periphery. The grass would have carried the fire if it hadn't been instantly decimated.

Through the ringing sound in his ears, the prince glanced coolly over to Leichter, who was watching the destruction with a reflection of something horrible in his eyes.

"…is that all?"

"All?" Leichter laughed and his eyes danced unpleasantly when he turned to look back. "Your Highness, surely you understand. These are new generation Magna Cannons capable of launching chimeric missiles from a short range to over five hundred kilometers. …For defense, of course."

"You're a fool, Leichter, and the worst kind." The prince began to laugh, and for the first time Leichter's smile faded, just a little. "We unveiled Magna-Nine firepower this morning with a range of over three thousand kilometers. _For defence, of course_." Fixing Leichter with an unswerving stare, the prince's lip curled upwards.

"…That's… that's patently impossible, Your Highness. This is the latest Magna technology, and the first prototypes of their kind."

"You should read the news more often, Leichter." Extracting his phone from his pocket, the prince casually thumbed through it before passing an open browser screen with the most recent news headlines over to the man who now merely looked uncertain. When Leichter took the phone and stared, the prince waved one hand magnanimously.

"We would've invited you, of course, but it just didn't seem like a particularly big occasion."

Smirking a smirk that wouldn't have looked out of place on the devil himself, the prince Seto Kaiba turned away from the field and the devastation before glancing just once over his shoulder.

"I believe you said something about a tour of the facility_?_"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__I'm sorry to each and every person who reviewed, favourited or set an alert for this story for taking so damn long. To be perfectly frank with you guys, I'm struggling with depression and most days it's been hard to do anything non-necessary let alone string together a coherent plot. That said, I'm definitely not giving up! Not on this story and not on anything else. I want to thank everyone for reading and for all of the kind words, and I hope a couple of you are still as interested in finding out where this is going as I am. I promise to do my very best to reply to all reviews going forward, and to not take months and months to update. _

_I was also thinking it might be nice to have a writing buddy or two, so if you are going through a rough patch too or just like to chat about YGO, send me a private message sometime._

_In more story-related news, next chapter is the big one where our protagonists finally meet. I'll also probably include some more information about the world this story is taking place in, so hopefully that will entice you to come back. *waves around puppyshipping and cookies for good measure*_


	4. Chapter 3

.

**Chapter 3: Curiosity and the Dragon**

…

* * *

><p>The map was spread out across the old oak table, usually notable for the ancient dings and dents that marked its surface. At the moment, though, all there was to be seen were the careful grid lines across even more carefully creased paper.<p>

Standing in the back of the room with his arms folded, Roland watched the prince Seto Kaiba studying the map with an intensity that reminded him of the old phrase _if looks could kill._ It was perturbingly accurate. The prince placed one hand on the map and leaned over it, his brow furrowing slightly as he used his other hand to carefully mark something in one of the squares. It was a truth known only to the head of Seto Kaiba's security that if you were able to catch the prince unawares then you were either the best assassin south of Amsterdam or he was working on this map. He also knew there was no point in announcing himself.

"How close?"

"Close," the prince replied. He didn't look up or register surprise. "The closest they've let me yet."

Roland nodded slightly, although he knew his employer wouldn't see it anyhow.

"Why now?"

"Trying to intimidate me." The prince laughed lowly, frigid eyes still fixed on the map. "As if they could even come close. That buffoon Leichter has no idea who he's toying with."

"No doubt." Roland kept his reply terse in the hopes of drawing attention to himself. Predictably, it failed spectacularly.

"The terrain was wrong though. Too far south and too low down." A steady hand traced a line across the map's landscape, calculations and speculations clearly whirling in the prince's head. He paused to study his own work.

Clearing his throat apologetically, Roland took another step forward.

"About the files you requested…"

Finally the prince glanced up from his ruled lines and careful scale, acknowledging the other man standing in his personal chambers. No one but Roland and himself had the security clearance to get in here - not even Mokuba.

"I saw them."

"We've just finished our inquiries into Yugi Moto, and nothing turned up that wasn't already in the file."

Seto Kaiba made a soft sound of disgust.

"Yugi, how pathetic to actually dedicate your life to games." He turned his head to glance at the map again, but Roland cut him off before he could become absorbed once more.

"Your brother actually left to pay a visit to the tailor about an hour ago. Surveillance places him at the shop on Mana Street right now."

The prince nodded absently and for a long moment there was silence between the two as sharp blue eyes read across the map like an old, familiar book that had been memorized long ago. Roland shifted slightly, trying to gauge whether or not he'd be wanted further. He'd just about decided that that wouldn't be the case when the prince's low voice broke the stillness.

"…right now, you said?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Hm." It was an equivocal sound, but the prince seemed to make up his mind in one way or another as he finally stood up straight and turned away from his work.

Without pausing to speak further to his head of security – who understood everything he did anyway and only too well – the prince swept towards his desk at the far end of the room. With a deft hand he picked up one of the pale yellow folders sitting unobtrusively on the immaculately ordered surface, and quickly cracked it open. Eyes scanned quickly across the lines again, and the prince allowed himself to relax slightly against the desk as he read.

"…Joseph Wheeler."

"Yes. He seems harmless, but he does have connections to several politically-affiliated non-profits."

The prince read the short file over again, his expression completely unreadable.

"…I'm more interested in why he seems to have captured Mokuba's undivided attention."

"The undercover report from James makes him out to be an unusual character."

"That or an idiot."

Roland maintained his stoic expression though it was not without effort. He could do stone-faced nearly as well as his employer, and was aware that it was one of the things the prince prized in his most trusted employee while also finding it both amusing and irritating. Since Roland still found himself employed in his current position after eight years, it clearly worked to his advantage.

"If I may be so bold, sir…"

"Yes?" The prince's eyes rose to meet the other's and his eyebrow quirked slightly upwards. Eight years also meant that there were certain things that Roland was allowed that no one else ever would be, or would even dare to contemplate.

"Your brother may be socially impulsive but he's never settled into a circle like this before."

"Hnn." A small smirk appeared on Seto Kaiba's lips, almost like a mirage rising out of the desert. "That's because I taught him better."

Roland bowed his head slightly, still expressionless.

"As you say. But perhaps it might be advantageous to… investigate further."

The prince stared at him for a moment in genuine, undisguised surprise, and then suddenly he let out a sharp bark of laughter before shaking his head.

"Don't think I can't see right through you, Roland."

"I have absolutely no idea what you mean," Roland said with bland neutrality, raising his hands with open palms to demonstrate his innocence. The prince just continued to smirk, crossing his arms from his place reclining against the desk.

"Of course not. But my promise to you still stands. I'll surround myself with company when you can find me one person besides Mokuba who isn't a complete waste of time, space and air. Oh but wait. _That's impossible_."

"As you wish. I was merely suggesting an inquiry into your brother's latest fascination. I would never dare to presume upon Your Highness."

"Roland." The prince practically growled the name, but he couldn't keep the disdainful amusement from dripping into his voice. "One of these days I'm going to fire you and make sure no one ever thinks of employing you or anyone you've ever met again."

"Of course, Your Highness. Any day now." Roland continued to stand stoically, and the prince lowered his head and smirked with his eyes closed for a second before standing straight and tall again. Striding easily across the room, he passed the table with the map without seeming to notice, and he crossed to where his favourite long white jacket hung casually (but also in such a way as to prevent wrinkles or creases).

"Get out. I don't want to see you in here ever again."

Taking the jacket, the prince easily pulled it on and shrugged it over his shoulders. Roland turned to go, determined to play his role perfectly to a t. Seto Kaiba didn't disappoint him as the terse voice he'd known to expect reached him before he'd managed to open the door.

"Oh, and on your way to find yourself a successor, be sure to call me a car."

"Yes, sir."

Roland bowed once with faint irony before quickly letting himself out. His phone was open and dialing the prince's driver within three seconds, and with his usual bluntness he informed the driver that the prince would require unidentified transportation to one of Domino City's more colorful neighborhoods.

It was only thanks to years of intense professionalism that he managed to last until after he'd hung up before he began to chuckle, and he didn't stop all the way down the long hallway and into the light of the waiting day.

* * *

><p>Seto Kaiba watched the streets of the 'Boh roll by from behind tinted windows. It was garish, of course; there wasn't any other way to describe it. The colourful banners and signs were practically everywhere, and cheerful flowers in chaotic disarray dotted the beds lining the fronts of homes and shops alike. It was enough to give him a headache.<p>

Why his brother chose to frequent a place like this one with its astoundingly ignorant and arrogantly cheerful population, he hadn't a clue. Though on the other hand, he had to admit grudging approval that Mokuba preferred this to something seedier. The occasional trip to the bar with his (carefully screened) school acquaintances was not important – if Mokuba was going to indulge in stupidity, he preferred his brother do it now when it was relatively easily screened and sure to pass once he'd realized his idiocy. As he scrutinized a particularly offensive orange door, he reminded himself grimly that being a fool was bad, but enjoying their company was a reasonably inoffensive vice. At least in moderation.

After a moment the car turned onto the main strip on Mana Drive, and cruised anonymously down towards its destination. Parked cars lined the side of the street and people passed one another on the sidewalks, chatting genially or pausing to look at something adorning the window of this or that store front. The little tailor shop, so easy to overlook, was nestled between a used book store and one specializing in French pastries. The majority of people passing by noted its existence and continued on their way without a second glance.

Seto Kaiba stared at it through narrowed, inquiring eyes.

The car moved up the street another few meters before finding an empty parking space and deftly maneuvering into it. From the inside of the dark vehicle, the prince sat in silence, judging his moment. A woman and her daughter passed, and then a couple with a stroller – it was all so gratingly facile. Finally, after five or six minutes, there was a break in pedestrian traffic. He glanced to the driver.

"Stay here. I expect I'll be back within a few minutes."

"Yes, sir," the driver answered with careful deference. Like most of the royal staff, he held a certain terrified reverence for the crown prince. It was deeply satisfying.

Moving with speed and sharpness, Seto Kaiba pushed open his car door and stepped onto into the sunny Tuesday morning. He was instantly identifiable – it was hard not to be, at his height, and he had long ago decided that trying to hide was absurd and entirely pointless. He preferred to cut a swath through his surroundings, the paparazzi that inevitably appeared out of thin air be damned. It had helped earn him much of his sterling reputation.

Ignoring the curious look of a woman across the street, Seto Kaiba walked quickly down the sidewalk, passing a group of children fussing over a bicycle that didn't even bother to look up. _Unmindful simpletons_. He didn't stop or hesitate until he was already there, and the door of the tailor shop had been pushed open.

The inside was dark, at least compared to the glow of daylight outside. The window was dusty and cluttered enough that it didn't light up the front room like it otherwise might have, and the sunshine that did spill into the room was animated by the dance of dust motes. The willful disorganization of the space as a whole was profoundly irking, and the messy collection of miscellaneous junk affixed to the wall was as banal as it was possible to imagine.

Of course he'd been right. _Definitely an idiot._

The only thing that caught and held his immediate attention was the only thing that mattered – his brother sitting in a chair by the window with his feet on a tiny coffee table, gazing up at him with a wide, adoring smile.

"Seto! You're here!"

"Hmph. I thought I'd find out where you've been wasting your life."

"Oh no nono_no_. This is great! You have to meet Joey, I've been dying to introduce you."

Joey. A suitably ridiculous shortening of an already completely forgettable name.

For the first time, Seto allowed his gaze to settle on the other figure standing in the little shop – presumably one Joseph _Joey_ Wheeler himself. The man looked different in person than he had in the photograph Seto had glanced at, but he was very close to what he'd imagined. His blond hair was unkempt and his rumpled clothing demonstrated the same blatant disregard for order that was evidenced everywhere in this dunce's space. He was also staring at Seto like he'd seen a ghost, with his mouth slightly ajar in a humourously idiotic tableau. Seto couldn't help it. He smirked.

"_Joey_?"

"W-what! That's my name…" The blond suddenly flushed a furious shade of red, a dramatic change from his previous pallor.

"I- ah, Your Highness…" He bowed deeply for a long second before quickly straightening and promptly turning towards Mokuba with a furious glare.

"_You said he wouldn't check up on you_!"

Mokuba, looking highly unconcerned and in fact rather pleased with himself, shrugged like he hadn't a concern in the world.

"Eh, you know. Control freak."

Seto gave Mokuba (who was looking dangerously unrepentant) a withering look before turning an almost equally disdainful one on the obviously mentally handicapped tailor.

"Really, Mokuba. I had no idea your latest hobby was slumming."

The tailor opened and shut his mouth like a fish. A riot of emotions, all of them immediately transparent, stormed across his face before settling into a rather amusing thunder cloud of anger. Brown eyes flashed and the tailor drew himself up to an entertainingly unimposing height. With several inches on the man, Seto was easily able to look down at him. Smirking, of course.

"What! Why would you say that?"

"Simply stating the obvious."

"You jerk! You don't even know me, how can you say things like that?"

"Easily. It took me about three and a half seconds to understand that you aren't worth my brother's time. Or probably anyone's."

"What did you just say?" The fool had gone from embarrassed deference to his future sovereign to inarticulate fury in about thirty seconds. How droll. For a second it looked like the tailor might explode on the spot, and Seto was almost sorry when he failed to combust. Instead a wary, confused look settled over the tailor's features as he examined Seto in return.

"That's real messed up of ya'. You shouldn't be rude to somebody just 'cause you don't like the looks of them."

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize I was speaking to a child."

Once again Joey – no, Wheeler, it sounded appropriately cheap – had to marshal his control in order to keep himself civilized. It was like watching a dog trying to catch its own tail. Mokuba seemed content to watch silently, as if he were attending a particularly riveting piece of theatre.

"Listen, Your Highness, I think we got off on the wrong foot here… I'm Joey Wheeler and I'm a fan o' yours so maybe we should start over." He offered a hand to shake which Seto properly ignored.

"Don't call me that."

"I, uh…" Wheeler seemed at a loss. His idiocy would have almost been charming if it weren't so fatuous. "Seto…?"

With all the false patience he could muster, Seto plastered on a smile.

"If you call me that again, I'll have you shot."

Wheeler abruptly shut his mouth. Trying not to laugh, Seto glanced from the tailor to his brother.

"Really? This is the best they had? I wasn't aware you wanted a dog."

"Why you-"

In about a heartbeat the tailor was immediately in front of him, gripping the front of his shirt with a surprisingly strong hold. The man was practically bristling and growling. Refusing to react, Seto simply stared at him with a bored expression. The man was clearly insane. That was the only possible explanation for the demonstrated willingness to touch and threaten him.

"Wheeler, you are the-"

"Seto, don't be such an ass." Mokuba's calm voice carried clearly through the small store, and both of the men glaring at each other froze. "Joey's perfectly nice, and he doesn't care if I'm an emperor or that weird homeless guy who hangs out at the coffee store across from the mall. I like him so try to act like a grown up, okay?"

For a second Seto was just as shocked as the tailor, who was in fact the first one to bounce back. He didn't entirely let go of Seto, but he loosened his grip significantly and took a step back, a rather pleased grin suddenly dancing up his face.

"Yeah, tough guy, listen to your brother. I'd hate to have to punch ya' in the nose and then get tossed in jail for the rest of my life."

Seto raised both eyebrows, carefully ignoring his brother's directive. Reaching up, he covered Wheeler's hand with his own, prying the semi-pliant fingers from his clothing. He looked the idiot in the eyes as he did so, just to make sure there was no misunderstanding the unspoken warning. Wheeler, for his part, finally released him.

"You wouldn't have to worry about prison," Seto stated coolly.

"Oh yeah?"

"No. You'd be dead before you hit the floor."

Smirking widely, Seto turned his back on the tailor and instead shifted all of his attention to his brother. Wheeler was, frankly, irrelevant. His brother's poor taste was the only reason he'd condescended to even walk into this hole.

"We were thinking about going to get ice cream, Seto. Do you want to come with us?" The strangled choking sound from behind him only made Seto's smirk widen even further.

"No. It's only a matter of time before the press start to show up. You should probably leave with me."

"Eh, I'll take my chances."

Mokuba made a show of burrowing even more deeply into his chair, making sure to sneak his brother a cheeky grin as he did so. Gods, 16 year olds. Sometimes he wished he could have found a way to keep Mokuba permanently ten years old. He tried not to let his irritation show.

"You and I can… go and get ice cream together."

Mokuba snorted a laugh and gave his brother a look he didn't entirely understand. It was both shrewd and speculating all in one, and Seto decided he was better off not knowing. His brother was getting too clever by half, even allowing for his occasional poor decision making. Mokuba just gave him a smug smile.

"I think I'm not going anywhere. And if you want to hang out you have to be nice to Joey, because I'm not talking to you until you two make friends." The brat mimed using a zipper to close his mouth. If his eyebrow twitched a little, Seto felt entirely justified.

"This is pointless. I'm just going to leave. We'll talk about this later."

Wheeler's voice cut in.

"C'mon, _Kaiba_. Loosen up a little bit."

The moron did not just –

Seto pivoted on his heel and gave Wheeler a look that could only be described as glacial. Wheeler, for his part, ignored him and stood there looking entirely too pleased with himself. …Fine.

"Oh, so you want me to get to know you, is that it?"

Mimicking something like congeniality but with a deadly glint in his eyes, Seto made a show of looking at the newspaper clippings, photos and comics affixed to the wall in no order at all.

"Well I guess ya' probably have better things to do, like running the country. But it couldn't hurt."

How unexpectedly astute. Still, it didn't change the facts. Not when they were underlined by a dirty joke tacked next to a photo of an extraordinarily fat cat in what appeared to be a top hat. _Idiot idiot idiot_.

"So then, Wheeler, tell me what I should know about you. You have twenty five seconds."

"Twenty five seconds!

"Nineteen…"

"I uh- I dunno! I've been workin' in tailoring and fixing stuff since before I graduated high school and after my dad died I started this place. Guh. Shit."

It was barely worth the effort of coming up with insults since the tailor seemed more than capable of making a fool out of himself all on his own. At the same time, though… he found himself vaguely curious to find out what further idiocy could come out of this man's overly large mouth. After a moment Wheeler seemed to perk up slightly, and he gave Seto a sideways glance that spoke of the same mischief ten-year old Mokuba had always gotten into. Awful. No wonder they got along.

"I like pina coladas and gettin' caught in the rain. I'm not really into yoga, but I am inta' champagne."

Not able to help himself, Seto rolled his eyes and somehow that just made the tailor break into a huge grin. How stupid could he be?

"Oh c'mon, I also like long walks on the beach."

"You would. But I hear they make all dogs go on leashes along the waterfront these days, so Mokuba would have to take you."

"Hey, fuck you Kaiba. I'm tryin' to be nice here. What's with the stick up your ass, anway?"

The tailor had moved to stand directly in Seto's path once again, though this time a few feet of space separated them. Hm. The loser thought he could spin it away from himself, did he?

"I just don't enjoy tolerating the company of people whose mental age is somewhere below the threshold of the average toddler. Oh look, I'm getting to know you."

Wheeler's attempt to stay on top of his completely obvious and far too easily manipulated emotions cracked a little. Seto caught the flash of teeth as the tailor's lips drew back in a barely concealed snarl, and his own lips pulled upwards in direct proportion. Breaking the dunce would actually be a little bit of fun.

"Son of a bitch. I didn't realize bein' royal meant you had to be a tool, too – no offense kiddo," he added quickly with a glance to Mokuba.

"None taken, Joey," Mokuba replied cheerfully. Seto's flash of irritation at his brother's support of this incompetent refined the edge of his next barb.

"We've already covered this, Wheeler. It's not me. It's _you_." He raised and held out his arm. "I wouldn't get too close. Until you've had a flea bath you're just another street mongrel."

This time the growl was real and Wheeler stalked up until he was directly in front of Seto's raised hand, pressing against the stated physical boundary.

"Ya got one thing right. I definitely bite."

Mokuba finally seemed to decide that this was the appropriate time to intervene, and he sighed loudly before getting to his feet. Giving Seto a mild glare, he approached the two of them with a distinct lack of concern.

"Seto, you're terrible at making friends."

Turning his eyes to his brother (and in doing so also relaying his own lack of apprehension about Wheeler's threat) Seto gave him a _look_.

"You don't seem adept at choosing them."

"Stop being jealous just because I like him. Joey's smart and funny and really good at what he does. You'd probably like him a lot if you could stop expecting everyone to be like you."

The rebuke was unexpected and harsh, and Seto drew himself up even taller, if that was possible. His own eyes flashed fire, and had he looked at Wheeler he would have noted intimidation for the first time since he'd entered the shop. His brother looked slightly cowed, but didn't back down.

"If you speak to me like that again then you _will_ pay the consequences."

"Believe it or not I'm trying to help you."

Baring his own teeth in a sneer that perfectly illustrated exactly what he thought of _that_, Seto stared down at his little brother who gazed back at him defiantly. Perhaps he had taught the child too well.

"If I relied on your help or anyone else's I'd be in a shallow grave. Good thing I'll never sink that low."

"_Seto._"

For a brief moment Mokuba looked stricken, the vulnerability of a small child suddenly written across his face. Seto's own expression went carefully blank, and he dropped his arm before turning away from Wheeler and ignoring his existence entirely.

"…I'm sorry." His brother was the only person on the planet to whom he would say those words (and only when completely deserved), and they both knew it. Seto reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration for a moment, allowing the emotion to rise and then subside appropriately.

When he looked at his brother again, Mokuba was giving him a slightly sad lopsided smile.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it." Seto just nodded, and Mokuba allowed his smile to widen. "Good. SO let's just pretend this never happened, and we can go back to working on this making friends thing."

"That is patently never going to happen."

"C'mon! Tell Joey how you really feel."

Seto half turned back towards the tailor, not entirely willing to let his brother out of his line of sight. Wheeler's face at that moment was, admittedly, probably one of the more entertaining things he'd seen in a while, torn somewhere between anger, concern and complete and utter confusion.

"…you are one of the biggest idiots I have ever met."

Which was when Wheeler punched him in the mouth. It was completely unexpected, which was why it forced him to take a step back.

…the idiot actually hit him. Stunned, he raised a hand to his lip. Pulling his hand away he examined it – no blood. He turned his shocked look to the tailor, who looked like he was about to die on the spot.

"Fuck, I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that. Are you okay? Fuck. Tristan was right, they're gonna come in and find my body," he moaned. Mokuba (also looking absolutely stunned) opened his mouth and then closed it again in a rather ironic parallel to what Wheeler had done earlier.

The moron _hit_ him. He was… actually impressed. Seto startled all three of them when he began to laugh. Testing his lip again, he then shot Wheeler a sharp, derisively amused look.

"I change my answer. You are _the_ biggest idiot I've ever met."

Shaking his head, Seto looked over to Mokuba.

"Enjoy your ice cream. Perhaps if you feel the need we can get a second round later." Laughing lowly to himself he turned his back on both of them and walked back to the door through which he'd entered.

"Okay, big brother! I'll call you when I'm leaving."

Seto raised one hand in a farewell before pushing the door open and stepping out into the day once more with a ruffle of his long, white coat. Once the door closed behind him there was a long silence in which a tailor and a prince just stood looking at each other. When Joey was finally able to speak again he more or less stammered.

"What… just happened?"

Mokuba, grinning from ear to ear, moved to clap Joey warmly on the back.

"You just met my brother."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN – **__Two weeks isn't so bad compared to a couple of months, right? I'll try to get the wait for the next one down even further, but first there are a couple of things I need to say! First, thank you SO much for all the kind messages, you guys. This fandom is the best, and each and every one of your notes means so much to me, you have no idea._

_Secondly, this is the first time I've ever written from Kaiba's perspective so feedback is definitely appreciated. This version of him is slightly different for Reasons (as you probably noticed) and I'm figuring him and everyone else out as I go along. This is not at all the direction I expected this chapter to go in (I thought it'd be witty banter, fabulous exit, grudging respect from Joey) so now I'm quite curious to find out what happens next. I know where we're going, but how all of these characters are going to get there is a mystery I look forward to solving._


	5. Chapter 4

.

**Chapter 4: Challenges**

...

* * *

><p>"I don't get it, Yug'. I just don't get it."<p>

"I know, Joey. I don't really get it either."

With a loud sigh, Joey Wheeler settled back into the park bench on which he was currently sitting, one foot resting lazily on his opposite knee. The fingers of his free hand rose abruptly to push blond hair out of his eyes while a convenient shadow from the building across the street slanted across his face. Trying not to growl into his phone at the mere memory of his extremely prejudicial personal introduction to one _Seto Kaiba_, he glared pointedly at several pigeons meandering along the sidewalk.

"Where does he get off bein' such a jerk to me, anyway? I barely said two words to the guy and he's callin' me names."

From Yugi's end of the line there was a considerable pause. Joey just soaked up the sunshine and tried not to let his irritation ruin an otherwise beautiful morning.

"...maybe he was just having a bad day."

"Oh right." Joey snorted, letting his contempt for that idea drip into his voice. "He was just havin' a bad day like I'm just having an ADHD morning."

Yugi laughed, and Joey could clearly picture his friend shaking his head as he did so. It made the corners of his own mouth pull up slightly into a smile. It was darn hard to stay mad when he had his best buddy on the line, a gone fishing sign hanging on his door, and a whole day full of possibilities. Yeah, screw Kaiba. It was gonna be a good one.

"Well, you did punch him, and you aren't in jail yet," Yugi felt the need to point out.

"Yeah, yeah. He's probably just scared I'll do somethin' worse to him next time."

"That or Mokuba told him you'd never survive prison."

"Hey! Have you been hanging out with Duke again?"

Yugi's laughter rang down the line once more. Grinning more broadly, Joey fidgeted slightly with the hem of his jeans, absently contemplating that they were starting to rip and he'd need to fix it soon.

"Listen, Joey. I'm sure he had his reasons."

"Why do you always think everybody's secretly a nice guy?"

"Because I'm always right." The last was said a trifle smugly, and Joey couldn't help a quick laugh.

"Yeah, right. Explains why Devlin's always either insultin' me or flirting with my sister."

"Duke's harmless, you know that."

"Yeah, whatever."

Glancing up as a darker shadow passed overhead, Joey let his eyes trace the path of an airplane ascending into the nearly cloudless sky. As the Domino City airport was directly south of here, there was pretty constant air traffic coming and going. He'd never minded; it reminded him of being a kid and watching them coming in to land from the fire escape outside his room.

"Say whatever you want, Yug', but fact remains that the guy's a first class _jerk_ and somehow he's supposed ta' be the guy who leads us through a new century. Sometimes I think America's got it more right than we give 'em credit for."

"Oh come on. You're one of the biggest supporters of the monarchy I know."

"Yeah, well, things change."

"Mhm. Things change like _I_ am just having a thinking-everybody-has-good points-in-their-own-way hour."

Now it was Joey's turn to laugh, and he let himself. It felt good. What he needed now was a cup of coffee, and then maybe to wander over to campus and see if Tristan wanted to ditch work too for the day. Téa'd scold them later, but sometimes a guy just needed to play hooky.

"Maybe. That'd have to be a really long hour."

"Yup," Yugi cheerfully agreed. "I guess I just can't help but feel like if somebody acts like that, they probably need a friend more than anybody."

"I kinda doubt it."

"Think about it, though. It must be really isolating to live the way he does. I'm actually impressed that Mokuba's as well-adjusted as he is."

That was Yugi all over for you – always finding the reasons for everything anybody ever did. It was fun to tease his friend about, but hard to really honestly think badly of. After all, given the high school bullying Joey had happily participated in, chances were they'd never be friends now if Yugi's particular brand of believing in the best of everyone wasn't so weirdly addictive.

Still, he wasn't giving in _that_ easily. The guy had called him a dog for chrissakes.

"Mokuba's a great kid. Why can't Kaiba be like that?"

"Maybe it has something to do with those years he was in Mikenno. Or maybe he just doesn't know how to relate to people."

Argh. Why did Yugi have to go and ruin a perfectly good grudge against somebody? And not even just _somebody_, but just about the most important somebody there was.

"...you think so?"

"I don't know, Joey. You'd have to ask him."

"Right, like he's really gonna answer any question I ask him."

The both sat in comfortable silence for a few moments after that. Joey could faintly hear the clatter of typing on Yugi's end (he was at work, busy designing something crazy awesome like always) and he took the opportunity to let his mind wander a little bit. His eyes drifted over to the two kids – a brother and a younger sister who reminded him with a slight pang of him and Serenity – playing hide and seek through the garden lining the little park. It was weird how you were never really able to shake some things.

He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly.

"It's just... you know, when I was a kid..."

"I know, Joey."

And Yugi did know, because he was easy to talk to and he never judged anybody. Joey had told him things he'd never dream of ever opening his mouth about to anybody else, not even Tristan. Tristan was more like that brother you had that you always got into fights and wrestling matches with; they'd always have each other's backs but it just wasn't real deep in the sharing childhood dreams department. Which was cool – he had Yugi.

"I just don't think I could deal with him bein' such a jackass to me again. If I punched him the first time then there's a good chance I might actually kill him if there's a second one."

Yugi laughed quietly, and the sounds of typing stopped.

"You should have more faith in yourself. You're one of the most stubborn people I know, so I'm pretty sure that if anybody could prove to Seto Kaiba that they're worth his time and effort, it's probably you."

"I dunno..."

"Think of it like a challenge."

Hah, that was it, wasn't it? Of course Yugi would play that card. But even as he thought it, Joey couldn't help the bubble of amusement and enthusiasm that grew as he turned the idea over in his head. How better to get back at the jerk than to pretend like he didn't care at all? And even better, maybe get some dirt on him in the process?

...okay, and maybe even manage to convince him that he, one Joey Wheeler, was not useless. And made a pretty good backup, supporter, debate partner, friend, whatever. And ...erm, no, he wouldn't finish that thought.

ANYHOW. Y'know, one step at a time.

Trying to suppress the slightly evil grin that was quickly spreading from ear to ear, Joey tapped his fingers rhythmically against his knee.

"...got any ideas? I wouldn't even know how to get close to the guy again if I wanted to."

"I wouldn't know anything about that," Yugi replied with undue innocence, fooling absolutely no one. "But I bet Mokuba would."

With his grin now approximately the size of a baseball stadium, Joey stared up at the tree line.

"Thanks, Yugi! You're the best."

"I know," was Yugi's response with a delayed laugh. "But now I've got to get back to work so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Yup," Joey agreed. "Later. When I have a progress report to give. Talk ta' you later, buddy."

As soon as Yugi had hung up on him, Joey had his phone in front of him as he paged through his contacts, his mind whirling. The cup of coffee and visit to Tristan already long forgotten, Joey contemplated a budding idea that was already starting to take shape. So maybe he'd have to go back to work today after all, and grab all of his stuff and some of his better sketches. And maybe he'd have to actually earn his keep for the first time in a week, but it was all in a good cause, in the end...

Smirking like there was no tomorrow, Joey lazed back against the bench with all his might and pushed the call button for just the person he needed to talk to.

One ring, two rings, three-

"_Hello?_"

"Hey, Mokuba, it's me."

"_Hey Joey!_"

"Listen, I need your help with something..."

* * *

><p>"Hey, kiddo, arms up."<p>

"Ugh. If you keep that up I'm gonna make you go back to calling me 'Your Highness'." Mokuba rolled his eyes but grudgingly raised his arms regardless.

Grinning, Joey snaked out his tape measure and made sure to whack the back of Mokuba's head with it before he proceeded to carefully take and note the length of Mokuba's left arm to the intersection of his thumb and index finger.

"Did ya' know that your right arm is just a little longer than your left one?"

"No. What? Is that weird?"

"Nah, it's not that uncommon. People are weird like that. It's like how one shoe's always a little tighter than the other."

"Not when you have them custom made just for you," Mokuba informed him smugly. Joey just gave him a rather baleful look before once again spooling his tape measure and stepping back to pull his trusty note pad and pencil out of his back pocket.

"Don't make me tell ya' what's wrong with that sentence."

In a matter of moments Joey had his pad open, and he was busily jotting down the measurements he'd taken so far. He had a good memory for numbers, but it was always better to have things written down so he had a record to refer to and show people if it became necessary. Maybe he wasn't the smartest young business owner that had ever worked around here but he'd learned as he went, and he almost never needed to make the same mistake twice.

"Are we almost done?" Mokuba asked, raising an eyebrow. He quickly pulled his arm over to check his watch. "Seto's late."

"Probably just got held up makin' someone else's morning miserable."

"Jealous?" Mokuba asked with a grin of his own, and Joey just snorted his reply before tucking his pencil behind his ear and handily tossing the notepad onto the nearby table.

"Arright, let's get this done. Then we can just pretend to be doin' something until your brother shows up."

"I always wanted to be a mime," Mokuba supplied helpfully.

The room they were standing in was large, beautiful, and full of sunshine. With the curtains drawn back, the late morning light cascaded in, filling the anteroom and warming it pleasantly. August was quickly running out of days, but summer showed absolutely no sign of heading for the door any time soon.

The trip up here had, of course, been very instructive. Of the variety where Joey had spent most of the brief tour with his mouth hanging open. He'd known, of course, that the palace (so named – it was really more of an extensive, heavily guarded estate that housed the royal family's principal residence, the main court and the actual seat of the government) would be something outside of his experience, but it had exceeded his expectations and then some. The royal family wasn't known for being notably ostentatious or wasteful, but they were the oldest of the old money and the place was done up in _style_.

The small portion that Joey had been allowed access to (on Mokuba's explicit instruction) was beautiful in ways he hadn't expected. The building was old, of course, but the classic style was immaculately kept and decorated, usually with a modern twist to set off the most important architectural elements. Whoever it was they hired, they deserved whatever recognition they got for it, that was for damned sure. Although it had never been something that had particularly appealed to him beyond the being the imaginary backdrop for various daydreams and such, Joey couldn't help but wonder what the inside of the court and the government buildings looked like now.

Hell, just being allowed to set foot in the royal residences was more than someone like him should even be allowed to _dream_ of.

Mokuba, gazing absently at the window, suddenly stood a little straighter.

"I think I hear him. Get to measuring!"

"On it!"

Snapping out his tape measure (rather professionally, if he did say so himself), Joey carefully wound the pliable tool around Mokuba's right bicep and peered at the number.

"Jeeze, we're gonna have to start making you work out."

"Joey!"

This was, of course, the exact moment when the door swung open and Seto Kaiba breezed into the room.

He was dressed in black and dark blue, and he took no notice whatsoever of the two in the corner of the room as he strode across the floor towards the window. Mokuba opened his mouth to greet his brother but closed it again hurriedly when Kaiba's footsteps were quickly followed by another's.

The second man was tall – even taller than Kaiba by a small margin, Joey couldn't help but note – and blond as the tailor himself. He was clearly older, and just as clearly foreign. The way he forced his way into the space made it obvious that he meant business, and the harsh set to his features warned of nothing good to come.

"Listen, Seto..." Stopped by the window, Kaiba shot the man a furious look which must have been quickly understood as it caused the blond man to raise his hands and backtrack.

"Your Highness," he began again more stiffly. "I don't know why you think we're going to put up with this harassment, but you're wrong. There's no way in hell anyone is going to stand for this."

Seeing as how no one even seemed to know they were there, Mokuba took the opportunity to lean over and hiss almost inaudibly into Joey's ear.

"Keith Howard. American Ambassador."

Joey's mouth, which had been slightly open, closed hastily. Shit, he was really intruding on things he had no place in. He hadn't counted on this, hadn't thought it through. Seeing as how he'd let Yugi talk him into this with almost no argument at all, it was pretty evident that he didn't think _anything_ through.

It was about then that Kaiba noticed they were there. His eyes alit on the two figures, both of whom were staring rather unashamedly, and for a brief moment they narrowed. Still, there was only a second's hesitation before he nodded ever so faintly to Mokuba and then continued on as if they were no one else in the room.

"If you had any intelligence at all, you'd rethink your tone."

The interruption had caused Keith to finally take note of the two extra spectators as well. Turning, he gazed in some confusion at the accidental interlopers and he seemed briefly taken aback by Mokuba's presence.

"Your Highness," he stumbled through quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you there." He gave a quick bow, which Mokuba hastily waved off.

"Don't worry about it! I'm just getting fitted for a new suit and there was good light in here. Don't mind us, we'll just slip out."

"No." Kaiba's response was instantaneous and terse. _Typical cold bastard_, Joey thought to himself. "You may as well stay. Howard was just seeing himself out."

"Like hell I am," Keith growled before turning once more on Kaiba. "I'm not leaving until you give me an explanation for what your people were doing on our grounds."

The look Kaiba levelled him was just about the most glacial Joey had ever seen in his life.

"I have yet to see any proof at all. If you thought you could walk in here and make wild accusations without repercussions, you were sadly mistaken." His lip curled back in a sneer.

Keith's hand clenched into a fist and it looked for a minute like he might roar back, but he apparently came to his senses before whatever it was had actually crossed his lips.

"You think you're smarter than me, don't you? Smarter than everyone. But just you wait, because I'm going to _find_ proof and show everyone what a two-faced, conniving-"

"Watch your words," Kaiba warned.

Joey, who was trying rather desperately to look anywhere but at Kaiba and the ambassador, was fidgeting with his tape measure. This was so friggin' embarrassing... It didn't help that Mokuba was clearly trying not to laugh at him. His friend's attention was divided, however, as he was keeping a pretty shrewd watch on Keith at the same time. All of which added up to the reason that Joey was the first one out of all of them to notice _another_ person standing just on the other side of the now wide-open door.

He had pale hair, darker skin, and large, clever eyes. Dressed elegantly in a grey suit accented with what looked like a playful purple, he stood quietly by the doorframe and watched. If Kaiba had seen him (which he might have, Joey had a suspicious feeling that the asshole saw everything) he gave no indication, and Keith was patently oblivious. He was also still going on, even though Kaiba's expression would have stopped most people dead in their tracks.

"Deny whatever you want, Your Highness. You won't be laughing tomorrow."

"This conversation is over. Show yourself out or I'll have security do it for you, and then we can explain _that_ diplomatic incident."

Keith barely contained a snarl.

"Don't think this is over. It's not."

With an insultingly stiff and unwilling bow, Keith then turned on his heel and stalked out of the room without even bothering to say a farewell to Mokuba. He brushed angrily by the young man in the doorway, pushing past him rudely as he went by. The fellow frowned but said nothing, very cautiously edging his way forward.

"What is it, Ishtar?" Kaiba snapped, his eyes flashing.

"I um, I'm sorry to interrupt Your Highness," the man babbled slightly. "I thought we had an appointment..."

He stepped into the room and bowed swiftly first to Mokuba and then to Kaiba. It didn't escape Joey's notice that he also flashed Mokuba a blink-and-you'll-miss-it smile, which the young prince returned.

Joey mouthed the word WHO at Mokuba, getting an amused eyeroll for his trouble. Still, Mokuba leaned over and whispered very quietly into his friend's ear once again.

"His name's Marik Ishtar, and he's one of the eight million courtiers trying to worm their way into Seto's inner circle."

Kaiba had removed to the far end of the large room for whatever discussion was about to take place, and Marik followed him carefully. Joey's eyes traced the young man's path, wondering briefly what it would be like to be invited to follow Seto Kaiba. Yeah, right. Like that'd ever happen. Like he even wanted it to happen, as things stood right now.

"He's super nice," Mokuba supplied helpfully, still on the topic of this Marik. Joey decided it was time to look busy and began measuring anything on hand, starting with his own finger. "But Seto thinks he has a hidden agenda, and Seto's usually right about people."

"Yeah well, I'm not even gonna say out loud what he thinks about me," Joey couldn't help but hiss back. Mokuba concealed a laugh again.

"I said _usually_, not always."

At the other end of the room, some kind of quiet conversation was taking place and Joey chose deliberately not to eavesdrop. He'd come here to try to get another shot at the guy who'd called him a dog, not to glean an inside scoop on political matters. Fuck, that was probably what Kaiba thought, wasn't it? Yeah, it probably was. Joey almost smacked himself then.

Mokuba, apparently a mind reader, gave him a sympathetic look before nudging Joey's notepad in his direction. Taking the hint, Joey took the thing, unearthed his pencil, and carefully noted down the last measurements he'd taken just as they were interrupted. He was starting to feel guilty for convincing Mokuba to deliberately put them in his brother's way.

Whatever Marik had come to discuss with the prince, it apparently reached its conclusion relatively quickly. Kaiba still looked frosty but no longer borderline psychopathic murderous, and Marik looked nervous and slightly ingratiating. It rubbed him slightly the wrong way, but Joey could sympathize with a guy trying to chart a course for himself in one of the only ways available to somebody on the political outside – making friends with the ice prince. He kinda doubted if Kaiba knew anything but the dictionary definition of the word 'close'.

Nodding slightly with a hesitant smile, Marik took a low bow before turning and walking back the way he'd come.

"Mokuba," he greeted quietly with a smile. Mokuba smiled back (although with a certain reserve, Joey noticed this time).

"It's good to see you, Marik. I hope you're keeping out of trouble."

"No doubt Ishtar has many things to keep his mind and hands busy," slid in Kaiba's voice, low and smooth. He had approached somehow without even being seen to move, and Joey's eyes flickered up in surprise to find hard blue ones looking back at him impassively. The implied insult in Kaiba's words was missed by no one, but Marik only flushed slightly.

"Your Highnesses, it was a pleasure. I hope you have a good rest of the day."

With only time for a brief, questioning glance in Joey's direction, Marik took leave of them and closed the door behind him. And then there were three, and for a brief, awkward handful of moments there was silence in the room.

...Kaiba was still looking right at him, and it unnerved Joey more than he'd like to admit. He wasn't gonna take anything from anyone, but there was something about this guy that made you kinda feel like you were about to be hit by a really fancy car. Completely unable to stop himself, Joey let out a nervous cough. Apparently it was the right (or wrong) thing to do, though, because Kaiba rolled his eyes and seemed to relax marginally, breaking some of the tension.

"Mokuba, there's a strict no pets allowed rule in here."

Suddenly all effervescent enthusiasm (as Mokuba was wont to be), he shook his head with a grin at Seto's words.

"Joey's here to measure me for a suit! He's making me one for the banquet on the fifteenth. You should see his designs, Seto, they're actually really good."

"That's about as likely as him knowing how to speak on command."

"Hey!" Joey couldn't help it.

"Oh look, I was wrong." Kaiba smirked that same, ultimately insulting and infuriating smirk. Yeah, Yug' was totally off on this one. Joey was going to kill him and spend the rest of his (very short) life in jail for regicide.

"Back off, Kaiba," he warned. Why had he come here to subject himself to this again? Oh right. Yugi's insane theory that the prick needed a friend. _Right_.

Okay. Okay. He could do this. _A challenge_.

"Besides," he added, trying to sound airy. "Not like you'd even know a good design if it hit you in the face."

Kaiba's eyebrow raised ever so minutely. Huh. Did the prick have a sense of humor after all? ...oh right, he'd hit him in the face. Shit. Well, uh, there was nothing for it other than to stand by his guns. Mokuba had sat down and was once again just lounging, looking amused. Joey shot him a brief glare which only got a smirk in return. It had to run the godforsaken family.

"You should think before you open that disaster you call a mouth, Wheeler," Kaiba commented rather dryly. Joey could have sworn he still looked ever so faintly amused in a condescending asshole kind of way. "I don't wear anything in public that I haven't personally vetted. All designed by people whose talent no doubt makes yours look approximately the size of your brain."

"You'd actually be surprised," Mokuba interjected helpfully. "You should check out his stuff, Seto. I mean I totally invited him up here so you guys could get in a fight again, but I really like the ideas he showed me. That's why I'm gonna take a chance and let him make something for the banquet. "

Kaiba watched his brother silently for a moment, and Joey had no idea at all what he was thinking. It set his teeth on edge and he frowned. Hell, who cared if this jerk ever made a friend in his life? What mattered was proving that he, Joey Wheeler, was way better than Kaiba was making him out to be.

Pausing only to glare at Kaiba, Joey turned to the table where some of the things he'd brought had been left spread out across the surface. He grumbled to himself and ignored the other two as he paged through some of the papers, looking for something (anything really) that would shut this guy up. Probably nothing would ever achieve that lofty ambition, but he settled on some of the same sketches he'd shown Mokuba. He picked up one of his favourites and thrust it towards Kaiba with a glower.

"Here, ya jerk. You don't have to like it but at least look before you keep insulting me."

Kaiba examined the proffered drawing expressionlessly, and he made no move to take it from Joey.

"...a small child could have drawn something better than this."

"_WHAT?_ Kaiba, you're so full of it. As if I'd ever make anything for you ever anyway. Nothing would ever look good on your skinny-ass frame, so why bother?"

Growling, Joey grabbed another sketch and quite literally stuck it in Kaiba's face, finally causing something of a reaction. With a glare Kaiba took a step back out of Joey's reach.

"You're a nuisance. I have no idea what my brother sees in you."

"Probably that I'm not a royal pain in the ass, like you are."

Kaiba's lips twisted into an angry sneer.

"Shut up, Mutt, it's almost insulting to hear you speak about things you know nothing about."

"Yeah? Well likewise, Kaiba. And you better get used to it 'cause your brother's gonna keep inviting me around 'til you give me a chance."

"Yup!" Mokuba chimed in cheerfully from behind them. Both of them ignored him.

Silence fell over the room again as Kaiba and Joey stared each other down. Although Kaiba got under his skin in a whole bunch of different ways for a whole bunch of different reasons, there was no way in _hell_ Joey was going to be the first one to give in. It wasn't even about proving that he was better anymore – no, it was just about the fact that he _was_ better. With his glare never easing up, he held out the sheet of drawing paper again.

With a snap Kaiba had it out of his hand. His long fingers held the page carefully as his eyes scrutinized the details, no doubt looking for anything and everything to criticize.

"...you haven't got even close to what it takes to make it in your industry. You should just give up now."

"Oh yeah? Well I'm gonna make your brother the nicest damn suit you ever saw, and then I'll be laughing."

"Please, Wheeler. You couldn't handle a challenge if it were a two-year old making it."

"You afraid, Kaiba? I think you're the one chickening out of a challenge."

"Fine. You want a challenge? Then you're going to get one."

"Bring it on."

Clenching his fist in something like a weird frustrated gleeful angry pleasure, Joey nodded. He felt weird. All of this was weird, as underlined by the kinda unsettling gleam in Kaiba's eyes. Joey was well and truly out of his depth, and he kind of liked it.

"Let's see you try to make something good enough that _I _will wear it to the banquet. And when you fail miserably, like the loser you are, then you'll leave my brother alone."

Mokuba quickly shook his head, jumping in before Joey could take up the thrown gauntlet.

"No dice, Seto. I'm not letting you tell me I can't hang out with Joey just because you feel like it."

Kaiba glanced briefly to his brother and then back to Joey, his focus apparently undisturbed.

"Fine. When he undoubtedly loses, Wheeler has to shine my boots." The smirk that wrote itself across his face almost had Joey seething.

"_Fine_. And when _you_ lose, you jerk, ya' gotta stop calling me names! _And_ you've gotta wear the suit to the banquet and tell everyone who made it for ya'!"

Suddenly serenely calm, Kaiba shrugged lightly, all trace of the fervour that had briefly lit up his eyes gone.

"Whatever you want, _Mutt_. We all know you don't have a chance in hell, anyway."

Shaking his head, bemused and amused and pissed off and kind of... erm, well anyway, Joey couldn't help the slightly maniacal smile that crept up.

"Oh we'll see about that. First thing's first you've gotta come in for a fitting. Friday?"

"Friday." Kaiba nodded, and Joey's grin only widened.

From where he was sitting, Mokuba just crossed his arms and silently congratulated himself on being by far the cleverest person in the room.

* * *

><p><em>AN - Ack, well, the bad news is that this took forever. The GOOD news is that I'm now finished school for the semester so I suddenly have a lot more free time. Things are looking up. _

_(Also, I just wanted to say that I'm genuinely humbled by the number of people watching this story. Thanks guys. I hope it doesn't disappoint.)_


	6. Chapter 5

.

**Chapter 5: Old Rivals and New Understandings**

_**break new ground: **__(verb) to advance beyond previous achievements_

* * *

><p>"Would you knock it off, Kaiba! How hard is it to stay still for five minutes?"<p>

The reply was drawn out reluctantly and came through gritted teeth.

"Very, when you keep poking and prodding me."

"Well would ya' stop acting like I'm gonna axe murder you? This'd be way easier if I didn't have to measure everything three times."

Joey Wheeler glared at Seto Kaiba from under the fringe of his bangs. The tall figure cast a long shadow across the little shop, and Joey thought sourly about how appropriate that was at the moment. Taking a slow breath, Joey reminded himself that this was just another job like any other – not like Kaiba warranted special treatment anyhow.

The part that was making this difficult actually wasn't even Kaiba, or at least his jabs; Joey'd been expecting those and had been prepared to ignore them for as long as he needed to in order to get his work done. That would've been a cinch, and maybe even kinda fun. No, the problem was that His Royal Highness was as snappish as the requisite crab metaphor and he kept tensing every time Joey so much as came near him with the tape measure. This, in turn, was starting to make Joey flustered and nervous too. Honestly, it was easier to get little kids to stand still - them you just had to bribe. Kaiba, apparently, was going to require a little more finesse.

Ah well, he _was_ pretty good at his job and sometimes that required putting people at their ease. He'd just be professional about it. Yeah.

Sighing largely to himself and giving Kaiba one more dirty look for (professional) good measure, Joey spooled his tape measure and walked across the floor of his little store. His feet knew every inch of its (slightly uneven) surface, and he could've navigated the place in pitch darkness with his eyes closed. Today, though, he had all the lights flipped on to combat the uncharacteristic gloom hanging over the city. (It had to rain sometimes, he figured.)

Stopping at the coffee pot over near the door to the back room, Joey gave the old, black machine a rather critical look.

"Alright, Twitchy. I'm makin' ya' some coffee because it sure as hell isn't going ta' make you any jumpier."

Across the room, Kaiba watched him warily.

"As if, Wheeler. That contraption looks like it'd probably set the place on fire if you started it."

Joey scoffed as he rummaged around for his favourite bag of coffee. He liked his black and breathtaking - it wasn't any fun if you didn't want to run around the block three times after drinking it.

"Give it a rest, Moneybags. Not all of us have people at our beck and call to get us whatever we want."

Extracting a filter from a tattered plastic bag, Joey set about making his ancient coffee maker run.

"And some of us do," was Kaiba's dry retort. "Roland."

"Yes, sir?"

Joey felt his eye twitch a little. Yeah, so the body guard sitting near the door was also probably contributing to his own case of nerves. Freaking princes and their pain in the ass royal security. Mokuba never showed up with suited guys in tow. Although, given everything he now knew about the two brothers and the way they operated, Joey had no doubts at all that Kaiba regularly ensured someone was always keeping an eye on his younger sibling.

"Go get some coffee," Kaiba instructed. "Something that won't give us all tetanus, preferably."

"Of course, sir."

Before Joey could turn around the ringing of the little bell above the door signaled the other man's exit. Yeah, well, no great conversational loss there. Joey had tried a couple of times to get him started talking since they'd arrived, but after a few monosyllabic responses he'd largely given up. The guy was worse than Seto Kaiba, and that was really saying something.

Heh... speaking of His Highness...

Without much to do while the coffee percolated, Joey leaned back against the table and folded his arms. As soon as his eyes fell on the aggravating son of a bitch in question, Joey was immediately aware that Kaiba was watching him, of course... _and_ that it still made him antsy. He did his best to swallow the feeling and watch right back.

"Oooh, all alone now with big and scary Joey Wheeler," he asserted, his lips twitching up dangerously towards a smile. Kaiba made one of those patented sounds of derision that he seemed to have perfected and probably also patented and charged for, the jerk.

"As if you could intimidate an ant."

"Yep, totally why you brought your guy along to protect you. Worried I'm gonna clock ya' again?"

Joey couldn't help it, this time he flashed teeth with his grin. The reaction in the tall, slim figure across the room was almost instantaneous disdain, and Joey could have clapped himself on the back. Golden.

"The only thing I'm _worried_ about is explaining your corpse to Mokuba. So maybe you should stop giving me cause."

"Yeah yeah, Twitchy. Whatever ya' say." Joey snickered to himself before continuing. "C'mon Kaiba, what do ya' think I'm gonna do? Call the media? Dig up some dirt?"

The pair of far-too-damn-blue eyes jumped slightly from Joey himself to some of the articles still tacked to the wall. There was a silence for a moment and then, surprising both of them, Kaiba sighed.

"Either would require far more brains and insight than you possess." Even as he spoke Kaiba's shoulders relaxed ever so little. His icy as hell glare (having returned to Joey) never relented, obviously, but what the hell, Joey felt a little like he'd just won a prize.

"Too bad for you my best pal's fiance works for the Herald."

"Not even close. She's an intern, she couldn't do a thing."

...oh shit. Kaiba knew about Téa. Joey stared at him blankly for a moment, and after a pause Kaiba at least had the good grace to flush and avert his eyes. For the first time since the prick had walked into his shop Joey felt his blood start to boil.

"What the hell, Kaiba? You gonna check out anyone I ever talked to? Well for your information I don't give a damn who or what ya' are and if you really think I'd sell anybody out – even you ya' prickly bastard - you need to leave. Right now."

Kaiba's first reaction was to raise an eyebrow, and the second – following very shortly afterward – was to roll his eyes.

"Oh please, Wheeler. Save it for someone who cares. It's about Mokuba's safety, and has less than nothing to do with you." When Joey opened his mouth to snarl something back Kaiba cut him off by raising a hand. "_And_, if you are such an idiot that you can't even figure out the obvious, if I thought you were _completely_ untrustworthy I wouldn't have bothered coming at all."

That shut Joey up alright. He snapped his mouth shut, and swallowed the words on his tongue. He was still seething inside, especially at the smirk that was now crawling up Kaiba's face in response to Joey's sudden silence. Argh. He hated this guy. Must. Remember. Not to rearrange face.

They were interrupted by the sudden sound of a phone ringing. It was a short, fast and high-pitched ring, and there was no way in hell Joey would ever use anything that business-like. (His phone was always set to vibrate anyway. Like he'd ever remember to change it back.) Kaiba quickly reached into his jacket pocket and extracted his thin, sleek phone. Joey didn't even bother to be aggravated – of course he also had the nicest phone. Kaiba had the nicest _everything_.

"What is it?" he answered in a clipped tone. Joey could only assume that caller ID had told him who it was, unless Kaiba really answered his phone like that all the time. Heh. Wouldn't be surprising.

After a moment there was a narrowing of eyes and a faint movement of the jaw that looked like teeth being surreptitiously ground together.

"Fine. Don't bother coming back then, just have the car stay close. I'll be leaving shortly." Kaiba closed his phone a little too harshly before slipping it back where it had come from.

"Problem?" Joey asked, more out of curiosity than concern.

"My security won't be coming back, apparently he's '_stuck in traffic'_." The tone of his voice implied intense disbelief, and Joey couldn't help his eyes sneaking a glance out the front window. Traffic was steady for the usually busy street, but it wasn't at a standstill or anything. He had no clue why Kaiba's body guard might lie about something like that, but he didn't really want to ask and risk having Twitchy turn the irritation on him.

Luckily he was spared having to figure out what to say next by the sound of the coffee maker alerting him that it was finished brewing. With a whoop, Joey turned and pounced on the machine.

"You want milk, cream or sugar, Kaiba? Except don't say cream 'cause I ain't got any."

"Then why bother asking?"

"Being polite, asshole. Answer the question."

After a beat, he did.

"...I'll take milk and sugar."

"Hah, you take your coffee like Téa. Girly drink." Joey snorted as he found two mugs from the jumble of stuff on the little cabinet and set them on top next to the coffee maker.

"Are you implying you have a problem with women, Wheeler?" Kaiba asked, that deadly sort of amusement that Joey was starting to get used to lacing itself through his tone. What surprised him was that the voice came from near his shoulder. Barely catching himself in time to stop from jumping, Joey swore silently to himself and tried to stop the colour that he could feel flooding his face. What the fuck? The guy couldn't take having his shoulder width measured but he had no problem invading other people's personal space?

Swallowing angrily, Joey banged one of the mugs down rather loudly before pouring out the two cups while ignoring the smirking prick he now knew was hanging back just behind and to his left.

"Screw you, Kaiba. Téa's one of my best friends. It's just a sayin- you know what, you're right, forget it." Pouring a somewhat random quantity of milk into one of the mugs, Joey scowled at it blackly before dumping a spoonful of sugar in as well. Hopefully it was way too much and tasted horrible. Still glaring, Joey turned and thrust the coffee at Kaiba, who gave him a sardonic look before taking it lightly.

(Their fingers never touched, Joey noted.)

"Drink your poison," Joey told Kaiba peevishly before grabbing his own coffee and taking a quick swig. It was too hot, of course, and burned his mouth, but oh shit he was starting to feel like he really needed this.

Kaiba, for his part, took a small sip of the drink he'd just been handed.

"Terrible."

Grumbling, Joey avoided Kaiba and walked around him, assuring himself he didn't notice the way Kaiba shifted ever so slightly to facilitate this passage. Whatever. Not like he cared. Instead Joey moved to sit on the arm of one of the low chairs near the front window. From here he had a good view and he could try to figure out what it was he was supposed to do now.

"...if you don't wanna do this suit thing, you don't have to," Joey found himself informing Kaiba rather stiffly.

There was a very slight shift in Kaiba's expression, but Joey couldn't for the life of him place exactly what it was.

"While you are certainly inept and this is unquestionably a complete and utter waste of my time, I find myself rather attached to the idea of humiliating you." Kaiba sipped his coffee again, not bothering to hide the smirk.

"We'll see who's eatin' crow by the time I'm done." Although Joey was glowering as he said it, he couldn't help the relieved (and rather wryly mischievous) thoughts that flashed through his brain. Hah, did Seto Kaiba want to _play_?

"I can order you some if you like," was Kaiba's completely straight-faced reply. Was he...? Yeah, okay, he wasn't imagining it. This really was playing. _Jeeze_. Marshalling some of his courage, Joey did his best to dig deep into his always plentiful well of irreverent ridiculousness.

"Yeah I bet. In fact I bet you've got warehouses of that shit piling up from all the times you've had to swallow your own words, ya' wise guy."

Grinning challengingly over the lip of his mug, Joey followed up the statement with another drink of too hot coffee. The steam rising from it danced in the air in front of his eyes.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Wheeler," Kaiba replied with a cold smirk and a dangerous glint in his eyes. Despite his well-scalded mouth, Joey felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"One of these days you're going to say something you regret." There was something darkly promising in Kaiba's words (along with the malicious pleasure rolling off of Kaiba's tongue), and Joey couldn't resist taking it as a challenge. Palming the top of his mug and ignoring the hot steam, Joey carefully set it down on the nearby table.

"I don't say nothing I can't back up." He crossed his arms and raised his chin defiantly. He felt kinda like he was playing with fire here, daring Kaiba to do... something.

"So maybe it's not the mouth that's the problem. Maybe it's just your brain." Kaiba said calmly, continuing to drink his 'terrible' coffee.

"Oh yeah, hot shot? Ya' think I can't go toe to toe with you?"

He stood up now, drawing himself to his full height (which was admittedly still notably shorter than Kaiba. But he chose not to dwell on that particular insignificant fact.) He flashed Kaiba a dark grin of his own.

"You?" Kaiba scoffed. "You're second class even in your chosen field. The only reason I'm bothering with you is to show both you and my brother what a waste of space you are."

"Yeah, Kaiba? You think so?" Surprising himself, Joey's grin just widened further. "Then it's time for you ta' put up or shut up, 'cause I ain't about to let you walk in here like you own the place."

Finally, though still apparently undeterred, Kaiba set down his own mug on Joey's desk top. Although his expression betrayed nothing particular, Joey couldn't possibly have imagined the snap and crackle behind those two blue eyes. It made his blood thrum in his veins.

"What is it going to take to make _you_ shut up? Maybe it's time to get a muzzle."

"Can't buy your way outta this problem, _Highness_," Joey shot back. He found himself closer to Kaiba than he'd been before, though he didn't remember getting there.

"That's the problem with mutts like you," Kaiba lashed out, his own feet shifting slightly to the right as Joey's went to the left. "Too stupid to realize when you should just play dead."

"Nah, Kaiba, I think it's time someone called your bluff. I ain't afraid of you, and I ain't gonna do what you say just 'cause ya' said it."

"Then do your pathetic 'best', Wheeler. I'm looking forward to tearing you apart."

"Oh I will, Kaiba. I'm gonna bring it and then you're gonna admit you were wrong."

Eyes fixed on Joey's own, Kaiba made a mocking, half bow-like gesture. The scorn on his face was evident.

"I promise to be unfailingly _honest_. So we'll both know that when I put you in your place you'll be sure to stay there from now on. Because, Wheeler, _I'm never wrong_."

Joey could barely contain the laughter that bubbled up in his throat, and it came out as a half-muffled chortle. It earned him a black look from Kaiba, but Joey couldn't have given less of a shit right then.

"Is that right? 'Cause I'm pretty sure sendin' your guy to go get ya' coffee was a mistake. I think that makes you _wrong_ Kaiba. And ya' know what else? I'm completely sure that you comin' in here was an even bigger mistake."

Eyes flashing, Kaiba took a step closer than he'd voluntarily been all morning.

"The _mistake_, Wheeler, was you putting yourself in my way," he all but hissed. Which was precisely when the bell over the door jingled, cheerfully announcing the entrance of someone else into the store.

"I- um, Joey... I didn't mean to interrupt..."

Both of them turned to stare at the new arrival almost simultaneously. Yugi, standing in the light of the doorframe, smiled awkwardly at them both and shuffled his feet.

"Uh, hi... Joey." He nodded rather embarrassedly. "...hi, Kaiba."

In almost an instant, Kaiba was standing straight and unruffled, his usual distant and cold smirk of a smile playing at the corner of his lips. Although he didn't move away from Joey exactly, it was like the impenetrable personal shield was back up and working double overtime.

"Hello Yugi. A pleasure."

Joey, who traded his astonished stare from Yugi to Kaiba, opened and shut his mouth twice before he thought of something appropriate to say.

"...Yug', you _know Kaiba_?"

Yugi flushed a little and took another step inside so that he could close the door behind him. The warm, humid air from the overcast day outside swirled briefly into the shop.

"...yes. We went to school together. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Joey."

Picking up his mug as if nothing at all had happened, Kaiba moved quickly away, back out of range of any human contact. Joey, feeling a little steamrollered, managed to muster a glare for his best friend and for the sonofabitch prince who seemed bent on making his life as confusing and difficult as possible.

"Ya' went to school with this jerk and you never told anybody?"

"Well, uh, Téa knows, I guess," Yugi answered abashedly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"_YUG'_."

"I know, Joey, I'm sorry."

"Now if you two are done playing house, do you think we could get this finished?" Kaiba interrupted. His voice was laden with boredom and unconcern. "Some of us have things that are actually important to do."

"Oh, go to hell, Kaiba," Joey snapped back at him.

"I'll be sure to recommend your professional manner," was Kaiba's icy answer. Scowling and cursing (although he wasn't entirely sure who), Joey grabbed his tape measure and stormed towards the fitting area of the main shop. His coffee sat on the table, forgotten, and Yugi – still looking entirely awkward and out of place – carefully sat down in the chair that Joey had recently vacated. He seemed to collect himself a little once he'd sat.

"How have you been, Kaiba?"

Kaiba, ignoring Joey entirely as Joey angrily began to take the last few measurements, watched Yugi coolly.

"Still alive, so I'm doing something right."

The answer was clipped, but for some reason that just seemed to make Yugi more comfortable. Okay... maybe he had really gone to school with the goddamn crown prince. He seemed to have putting up with the prick down pat. But alright, Joey needed to do his job and ignore the two people that he right now hated with a fiery passion. Who cared if they were best pals or whatever? He had a job to do and his best bud not telling him important shit like y'know, _hanging out with Seto Kaiba_, was just a minor thing that didn't, shouldn't, wouldn't bother him at all.

Anyway, he was kinda distracted by the fact that Kaiba wasn't twitching anymore. In fact he barely seemed to notice Joey's presence. _What the fuck? Was that a good thing or a bad thing?_

"I know you're more than alive, Kaiba," Yugi's more calm now voice floated over. Joey ignored it. "I follow the news too, you know."

"Really? How cute." Yup, Joey could hear the sneer without looking. Looks like he was learning something, anyway. "I don't assume anything useful about you, Moto. It would be inevitably wrong."

"Yeah, and we just covered that you don't do wrong," Joey growled, taking the length of what was going to be Kaiba's suit jacket. He was completely ignored.

"Listen, Kaiba, I'm sorry about the way we left things..."

"Don't be," Kaiba snapped back. "Because I've never given it a second thought."

Silence reigned in the store for several minutes. Joey, deciding to forge ahead and let the other two be damned, grabbed his notebook from the desk and quickly jotted down the numbers. He was nearly done, just needing the waist measurement, as well as the inseam and outseam for Kaiba's pants. He'd left those to the end out of worry that Kaiba'd just hit him in the nose or accidentally kick him in the head, what with the way he'd been acting before. Fine, whatever.

"Lift your arms," he directed Kaiba rather tersely. When Kaiba did as instructed, Joey quickly wound the measuring tape around the prick's waist, just above the hips. Man the guy was skinny. Joey pulled the tape tight and frowned at the number. Not like he cared though, as long as it made for a damn fine suit. He'd make the jerk look good no matter whether or not he deserved to look like the arrogant asshole he really was. Huffing slightly, Joey released the measuring tape and looked up, finding himself almost eye-to-eye with the prick in question.

_Oh jesus_.

Joey couldn't explain why he froze, or why the look of something akin to curiosity on Kaiba's face made his hands suddenly go ice cold. No, no, this was bordering on awkward. Not allowed. Client. Swallowing hard, Joey turned away like he hadn't seen or done anything besides get a measurement. It's all he'd done. Which was totally why he needed to _not_ feel like his face was suddenly on fire. That wasn't allowed to be happening. _Fuck._

"So uh, you guys do the same program…?" Joey asked, trying not to stumble over the words as he jotted down Kaiba's (low) number. Only two measurements left and then he was done. It wasn't weird.

"Not entirely," Kaiba replied slowly, something like amusement dripping into his tone.

"We had a few classes together," Yugi added. He sounded composed and his usual cheerful self now. "A lot of programming. You could say we sort of competed." He laughed a little bit then, to show that he hadn't taken it seriously. Joey didn't need to look at Kaiba (and so didn't) to know that he'd be pissed about that. Like Seto Kaiba would ever _not_ take something seriously.

"Moto is good. Too good to be wasting his talents on video games," Kaiba informed them both coolly.

"What's wrong with video games?" Joey asked quickly. Oh god, he was glad to latch onto any subject right at this particular second. Still ignoring Kaiba (and his own still red face), Joey took the tape measure and dropped it from Kaiba's waistband to the floor. Not difficult at all – not a bit.

"His talents would be better spent elsewhere, on things that matter," Kaiba said.

Yugi, across the room, shook his head with a slow smile.

"You know I don't have any interest in military technology. I like games. They make people happy."

Kaiba's retort was accompanied by a cruel smile of his own.

"There are many different kinds of games, and some much more _interesting_ than others. I happen to prefer those with the highest stakes."

Inseam now. Starting at the floor, Joey carefully measured upwards. He wasn't gonna think about the fact that he could totally feel Kaiba's curious, amused eyes on the back (or top) of his head. Nope. Not thinking about it, not noticing it. He was pleased that his hand and his eyes stayed steady, so after a moment he was able to re-spool the measuring tool and move hastily away from Kaiba. Cause, you know, he could go back to twitchy mode at any time. Even though he didn't seem to be making any moves in that direction right now, you could never tell anything with this insufferable guy.

Keeping his back to Kaiba, Joey wrote down the last two numbers before putting down his pad on the desk and glancing over towards Yugi.

"So, uh, what'd you come over for, Yug'?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Joey! I wanted to ask if you'd like to have lunch with me... I had some things I wanted to talk to you about but um. Now I see I have some other things to tell you and apologize for too. Lunch on me?"

"Hell yeah!" Punching the air in anticipation, Joey grinned broadly at his friend. Yugi laughed quickly before turning to the third party in the room.

"You should come too, Kaiba! It would be nice to catch up."

For the first time since (nothing) Joey risked a glance over at the guy who'd sure made his morning more interesting. He was looking at Yugi rather speculatively in that manner he had that didn't give much away.

"...I have better things to do."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Yugi's smile was genuinely apologetic. The guy was always way too nice to everybody – and that was one of the main reasons Joey liked him so much. With Kaiba as the target though... urgh, he was gonna have a headache by the end of this. He could just tell.

"If you aren't going far I'll walk with you, however," Kaiba continued haughtily. "My car is caught in traffic anyway."

"Great! Although you should reconsider, Kaiba," Joey effused, unable to help himself. "There's a great burger joint three blocks up and they make the most killer milkshakes. Oh man, Yugi I'm so makin' you buy me a chocolate and a strawberry."

Yugi started to laugh, and Joey shared a quick grin with his best friend. Although it still itched something awful that Yugi hadn't told him he knew the freaking _crown prince_, he was a hundred percent sure that there was a good reason for it. Although he wasn't exactly a Kaiba expert yet (god forbid that should happen) he had a nagging suspicion that the guy himself had probably put an embargo on sharing that info.

Kaiba, grabbing his jacket from the hanger where he'd left it, rolled his eyes at the pair of them.

"I doubt you'd know good food if it bit you in the ass, mutt. Now please let us get out of here before I'm reminded of just how much time I wasted already today."

Joey made a face at Kaiba before grabbing his key from the desk and walking jauntily over to the front door. Who cared about stuck up royal twerps when he had a free lunch to look forward to? Kaiba could keep his money and his respect for all Joey cared in that moment. He even managed to put out of mind the weirdness of parts of the morning. Tossing the key into the air before catching it in a rather grand gesture, Joey flipped off the lights and opened the door with a flourish, then stepped outside to hold it for his two guests.

Yugi followed him out quickly, and after a few seconds Kaiba followed as well. Although the small red awning over the shop front protected them immediately, the light patter of raindrops on the sidewalk made Joey scrunch his nose in displeasure as he shut the door and locked it.

"Man... was it rainin' when you came in, Yug'?"

"No." Yugi shook his head and peered out at the clouds. They had amassed even more thickly over the city, turning everything a dark, dreary grey. At least the smell of fresh rain on cement was still hanging in the air, and Joey breathed in deeply. Ah well, a little rain never hurt anybody.

Kaiba stepped out from under the awning, unfolding a black umbrella in one fluid motion as he did so. ...uh, where did that come from? Joey hadn't seen it inside.

"Shall we? We wouldn't want Wheeler to starve. He has few enough brain cells as it is," he mocked in his typical, arrogant Kaiba voice. Joey growled and stepped out into the light rain. Although Kaiba was holding the umbrella out with a strange, rather barbed smile, there was no way he was sharing anything with _him_.

"Get lost, Kaiba. No one wants you around anyway."

Yugi laughed quietly and stepped under the umbrella, tilting his head in the direction of the restaurant. The two of them started to walk, and Joey had to jog to catch up.

"It really is nice to see you, Kaiba," Yugi said with a little smile upwards at the much taller man. "There's no one at work who can keep up with me quite the way you could."

"Obviously," was Kaiba's rather terse answer.

Digging his hands into his pockets, Joey walked along in the warm, wet day, and thought about the fact that he was actually pretty glad about how today had turned out, all things considered. Even if Kaiba was still a giant prick.

"You should tell Kaiba about you and Téa," he supplied helpfully. Yugi caught his eyes and winked.

"That's right... Téa and I are engaged now."

"Oh? Is that the same braindead girl you were dating in school?

The irritated, feigned ignorance fooled neither of the two walking with him, and Joey snorted while Yugi just smiled.

"Téa's wonderful and yes we're still together. We haven't set a date yet, but when we do I'll send you an invitation."

Kaiba just made an uninterested, noncommittal noise.

"C'mon Kaiba," Joey began, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Can't you even be happy for your old friend? He's gettin' married to his dream girl."

"Friend is stretching it into beyond the realms of truth and reality," Kaiba replied sourly.

"Whatever." Joey waved a hand dismissively. He didn't care about this jerk anymore, not right now. He was gonna get lunch with Yugi, make him spill the beans (and his wallet) and then he was gonna take the afternoon to put his hundred ideas down on paper and figure out exactly which one (or combination) was the perfect one to make Kaiba turn purple knowing he had to wear it in public and tell people Joey Wheeler made it. Scuffing his shoes against the sidewalk, Joey grinned at the day.

From up the street, an extraordinarily unremarkable grey car rolled through the settling gloom. It's headlights swept across the road, lighting up its way as it crawled steadily closer to the trio, the only thing memorable about it being the dark, tinted windows. Even those weren't unusual enough to really draw attention.

The car swept past, following traffic. The only pair of eyes to glance at it were sharp blue ones, and they quickly turned further up the street to an approaching black car, wipers working to keep the rain off the windshield's glass. Nodding seemingly to himself, Kaiba stopped.

"My ride is here. You losers can see yourselves to wherever it is you're going."

"Are you sure, Kaiba? You're still more than welcome," Yugi asked, glancing up at him again with curious eyes. Kaiba didn't even bother to muster a response beyond a baleful glare.

"...I doubt I'll see you again anytime soon Yugi. Let's keep it that way."

Closing his umbrella with an elegant gesture that somehow included hitting Joey in the head, Kaiba smirked as the car signalled to the right and pulled up alongside them.

"Wheeler, two weeks. Then we settle this once and for all."

Joey, rubbing his head and glaring bloody murder at the guy who'd just whacked him, gritted his teeth.

"Get the hell out of here Kaiba before I give ya' something ta' really be wrong about..."

"Don't worry, I'm leaving before the smell of wet dog is stuck in my nose permanently."

"KAIBA-"

Kaiba flashed him his seeing-red-inducing smirk before the door of the car was open, and Kaiba was inside and closing it just as smoothly behind him. Yugi watched the car pull away while Joey shook a clenched fist at it, barely restraining himself from yelling obscenities. After the car was well out of hearing range anyway, Yugi carefully put a hand on Joey's shoulder. His amused smile was slightly guilty looking, but Joey supposed he couldn't blame him.

"Come on, let's go get food. It's Kaiba's loss for not coming with us."

With a long-suffering sigh, Joey turned back in the direction of the restaurant.

"He could've at least given us his umbrella... did you really put up with that guy for two years?"

With a nod and a small, fond laugh, Yugi started to walk with his hand still on Joey's shoulder. Neither of them minded.

"Yes. And I guess now I can tell you about it..."

"_Spill it Yug'_. What was he like? Did he have a girlfriend? Was he always such a jerk? What's he like to eat? Tell me _everything_ I need some dirt on this guy."

Laughing, Yugi wiped rain off of his nose and Joey walked with his best friend up into the murky afternoon. Whatever Kaiba's problems and his secret keeping and his attitude and his... well, everything, at least Yugi always had Joey's back. And that included lunch on a rainy afternoon where they'd sit across the table and joke until the waitress glared at them for being there for three hours and they had to move on out, content in the knowledge that no matter what else, there would always be other afternoons like these.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN** - __This chapter was so much fun to write but required so many revisions. There is nothing straightforward or uncomplicated about these two, and that is not going to change anytime ever. Plus there's the Yugi/Kaiba dynamic which hopefully I'll be able to get into more later. If not maybe I'll write a one-shot about it? Those two have history and it's kind of great. _


End file.
